Shippensburg Produce Outreach (SPO) continued its Thanksgiving tradition of blessing families in the community with their holiday outreach of Thanksgiving boxes last week. The annual outreach is a continuation of a tradition that was started by Kings Kettle Food Pantry decades prior, with the help of donations from individuals and businesses in the Shippensburg community who had a desire to help families in need during the holidays. The baskets distributed were just as much a blessing to families then as they are today. Filled with a bounty of food items including a frozen turkey, the baskets definitely made a difference in the holiday for those who were blessed to receive them.
Last week SPO volunteers worked tirelessly throughout the day to pack and distribute over Thanksgiving boxes to more than 400 client households, according to Christopher Connor, one of the coordinator’s of the 2023 Thanksgiving Meal Distribution.
“The Thanksgiving boxes included a Holiday Box supplied by Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and a $20 Weis gift card,” Conner noted. “Additionally, we received over fifty pounds of fresh vegetables from the Leadership Education and Farming (LEAF) Project, which were included in each of the meals along with fresh milk and eggs.” Conner also noted that SPO covered the costs of these items, though they also received a tremendous amount of support from local community faith organizations and some businesses, including Broadside Gaming who provided financial donations.
Kathy and Bob Riess of Shippensburg were very grateful to be on the receiving end of the Thanksgiving boxes this year. “We are on a fixed income because of our disabilities so we appreciate any help we can get, especially around the holidays,” Bob said. “Everyone here is always so helpful and everyone, not just some of the volunteers, but all of the volunteers always have a smile on their face, and are so very kind. We really appreciate SPO and everything they do in the community to help those, like ourselves, who need a little extra help,” Kathy added.
Another recipient expressed her gratitude as well saying, “This is our first receiving help from SPO and I couldn’t be more appreciative. I have five children and providing for their needs is very important to me but I don’t always have the means in which to do so. A program like SPO is definitely a helping hand, especially during the holidays.”
On average, SPO distributes food to 350 client households each Tuesday and maintains a total client base of over 600 families. These families reside in the Shippensburg area, which comprises both Cumberland and Franklin counties. Since 2008, SPO has served a single purpose of providing food to those in need and has met this need through many hurdles in the past 15 years. In fact, SPO distributed food through the COVID-19 Pandemic every week—except for one due to severe ice—and has continued to meet the demand for food assistance following the pandemic.