With God, It’s No Problem: Annual Thanksgiving Meal Delivery Plans Proceeding Smoothly Despite Surprise Increase in Requests

A Brazoria-area ministry group in its fifth year of organizing an annual Thanksgiving morning meal delivery to local families got a surprise when it saw the number of families who requested meals this year.

“We usually have about 20-30 families sign up for meals, but this year we more than doubled that,” said organizer Jere Delaune. “We were at 65 earlier today, and I think we’re going to go ahead and add a couple more. Sixty-seven, is a lot bigger number than we’ve ever had … But the Lord has provided. It’s all coming together.”

Delaune, and other volunteers with the ministry group His Hands and Feet, are planning to spend Thanksgiving eve smoking the nearly 70 turkeys (paid for by an annonyous donor) at First Baptist Church in Brazoria. FBC members will be joining the group, as will members of Victory Fellowship and Cowboy Church of Brazoria, and, well, anyone who hears a call to help.

“We’ll be getting to the church between 7 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday night and staying up all night smoking,” Delaune said.

Meanwhile, volunteers across the West Brazos region will be preparing side dishes and bringing them to the church on Thanksgiving morning for delivery volunteers to take to the families, most of whom live in Brazoria and Angleton.

His Hands and Feet is keeping this running list of dishes and supplies needed for the meals.

“At the moment, I think our biggest need is for the green bean casserole,” DeLaune said.

Anyone wanting to help this event in any way, can contact DeLaune through the His and Hands facebook page linked above or call him at 281-825-7261.

“With people from First Baptist and the Cowboy Church stepping up, it looks like we will be in good shape, but we’d love to have anyone else who wants to help,” DeLaune said.

The families receiving the meals all have foster children and requested the meals through Arrow Child and Family Ministries, a Houston non-profit ministry that helps foster kids and their parents. DeLaune and his wife Helen are currently fostering two children themselves.

“Something that’s really great is that several of the people we have delivered meals to in the past are coming back to help this year,” DeLaune said.

The unexpectedly large number of families requesting the meals this year has presented some significant challenges that the Lord has resolved in His amazing way, DeLaune said.

“On things like this, its always the temptation to get nervous and upset, trying to figure out how to do it on your own power,” DeLaune said. “But the Father will provide. And He is doing it again.”