MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Scott’s Run Settlement House has begun food distributions for North Central West Virginia residents for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Over 1,900 residents will be served with a combination of food and gift card donations as part of the Scott’s Run Settlement House annual Thanksgiving food giveaway. Program Director Michael Richard announced that distributions will be offered up to the day of Thanksgiving at their new Fairchance Road location in Cheat Lake.
“We are in the midst of giving out either gift cards, food, or combinations of both to, I think, we’re estimated to be around 1,900 people right now,” said Richard. “We’ve already given a lot out, and we’re continuing to give those out Tuesday and into Wednesday,” he said.
According to Richard, sign-ups began in October for the Thanksgiving food distributions, keeping pace with the number of individuals served last year. Families that will receive Thanksgiving care packages will include the traditional Thanksgiving turkey as well as locally grown produce and gift cards to make up for any baskets that would be short of the normal distribution. Richard also added that a waitlist was established due to the over 1,900 families that will be served during the holiday.
“We had such a desire for Thanksgiving meals that we had a waitlist,” Richard said. “We’re working through the waitlist now, we still have a few on there we’re trying to get covered,” he said.
Donations were gathered through a combination of Morgantown area churches, first responders, and businesses within Monongalia County. Richard added that food distributions have been held over the past week at churches located in various parts of the Morgantown area, including Wesley United Methodist Church and Suncrest Methodist Church, among others.
“It’s really a collaborative effort whenever you’re trying to get $50 to $75 worth of food or gift cards for that many people,” Richard said. “It definitely takes a team effort with a lot of individuals in the county,” he said.
The Scott’s Run Settlement House will continue to host charitable events throughout the holiday season. This includes the collection of donations for their annual Christmas drive as well as their regular food assistance programs that are offered on a daily basis. With around 1,900 individuals expected to be served during the Thanksgiving holiday, he encourages those who might be affected by food insecurity to stop by with donations accepted daily.
“If people are coming up to the holidays and need some help with some food insecurity, we still have appointments available at our Cheat Lake location,” Richard said. “It may not be a full Thanksgiving dinner, but if people are facing food insecurity, we’ll be able to help them with that,” he said.