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The Thanksgiving Food Drive: Serving Those in Need with a Spirit of Faithful Stewardship
With Thanksgiving approaching, we can make sure that our neighbors struggling to feed their families can enjoy the holiday with a full table, thanks to the efforts of our Knights of Columbussponsored Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Parishioner Doug Wagner, a Second Degree Knight in Bishop Denis J. O’Connell Council 12366, is coordinating the food drive that will begin on Saturday, Nov. 20, and continue on Nov. 21. Over the past three years, the drive has collected over 35,000 pounds of food, and the need continues to grow. Food collection bags will be distributed to our parish before that weekend, and we are asked to bring canned foods in the bags for collection at the Masses on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21.
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“The food goes to the Fort Mill Care Center,” Doug says. “One of our parishioners runs the food pantry there. The clients are the same people who qualify at the poverty level. There are a lot more in Fort Mill than people know.”
The clients will register to receive the food. Although our food drive does not include turkeys, the care center can distribute donated turkeys to the clients.
After the food is collected at the church, a group of Knights will pack the items into boxes, and load them into a truck the following Monday. Doug is typically behind the wheel.
“We fill it as full as we can,” Doug says of the truck. “We get help from our local Two Men and a Truck of Fort Mill. They’ve been donating a truck for us at least for three years. We really appreciate it. Last year, there were a lot of people moving and I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to get a truck. But they made sure we had a truck. That’s how generous they are.”
Donating to the food drive is one way we can act in stewardship.
“I think a lot of times we believe stewardship is within the church, itself,” Doug says. “But you look at St. Philip and it goes beyond the congregation. We are playing a big part in helping the community. There really is no better way to give than to those in need. It is the ultimate stewardship — it is what Jesus did, taking care of the poor and hungry. This is what stewardship is about — there is no selfishness at all.”
Doug and his fellow Knights are most appreciative of our parish’s generosity in donating the food.
The food drive originally was operated by the parish Men’s Club, but when the group disbanded, the Knights of Columbus was asked to take over. Doug became the coordinator, in response to the Knights’ call to take on a project that one is passionate about.
“This is what I am,” Doug says. “My high school collected food, and it’s something I feel strongly about. I had good mentors at school.”
