Lufkin First United Methodist Church prepares 600 Thanksgiving meals

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - For so many Americans, Thanksgiving means meal prepping and spending time with family and friends. However, some individuals dread the holiday season because they spend the day in isolation.

Volunteers from the First United Methodist Church in Lufkin worked together today to cook, prep, and box about 600 meals for Thanksgiving on Sunday. Pastor Jerome Brimmage said the plates will go to people that have registered with Meals on Wheels - a serving organization for seniors and adults with disabilities in need of nutritional support.

“We hope that receiving a meal that is home cooked and that is fresh and warm is a reminder that they are loved and that they are not alone. They are not forgotten, and we hope this nourishes not only their bodies but their spirits. I hope this uplifts them during this holiday season,” Brimmage said.

Brimmage said it is a community-wide effort and that his church has been doing this for the past 30 years.

“The holidays, especially around Thanksgiving, remind us that we need to give thanks to God and be grateful to all that God has provided for us and that we are not only blessed, but we get to bless others,” Brimmage said.

Chief cook John Brink has been making the meals for the last 15 years and said he loves to cook and serve, especially during the holiday season.

“I want people to know that it was cooked with love, and they’re something special. And they’re needed and loved in this world,” Brink said.

Brink said he has seen the joy a home-cooked meal can bring to a person.

“You know the old saying, ‘You see a fish flopping on the beach, and there are thousands of them. And you grab that one and throw it back, and they’re like there are so many it’s not going to help. Well, it helped that one.’ So we can’t touch everybody, unfortunately, but the ones we can, touch hopefully, it makes a difference in their lives,” Brink said.