Every year, Bethel A.M.E does a number of outreach programs. This year the theme is “Impacting the community through prayer and service.”
This afternoon, from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Bethel A.M.E Church and its members will be hosting a Thanksgiving Basket Assembly. Volunteers will meet in the fellowship hall and create Thanksgiving baskets for families in need. The baskets will then be distributed Saturday morning from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Julius McAllister Jr., senior minister of Bethel, said the church is following Christ’s example to let people know Christians care.
Bethel A.M.E has been distributing Thanksgiving baskets to deserving families for more than twenty years. This year, they anticipate distributing baskets to 450 families. Local grocers and vendors, including the Piggly Wiggly in Quincy and Charles Brown and Sons, sponsored the baskets.
“This is for persons in need of a helping hand. It’s not just a handout,” said 12- year chair and organizer for the event Connie Jenkins-Pye.
Members of the church were given referral forms for families they knew could use assistance during the Thanksgiving holiday. The church also allowed families to call in and request a basket for their families, and contacted local schools and human service agencies in South Tallahassee for more referrals. They also have a waiting list for those families who were not able to make the 450 families on the list. Families must be at the church Saturday at 8 a.m. to be added to the waiting list.
Florida A&M history professor Kyle Harris invited some of his students to help join him and Bethel A.M.E in distributing baskets.
Both FAMU and Florida State women’s basketball and softball teams will be helping as well, along with the Jack and Jill Youth Group of America.
“I would love to see more students get involved,” said Harris. “This is bigger than all of us. Student athletes should not be the only students volunteering.
Bethel A.M.E is located at 501 W. Orange Ave. For more information on volunteering or to request for a family in need, contact Kyle Harris at 850-599-3430 or Bethel A.M.E’s Outreach Project chair Connie Jenkins at 850-508-3610.