Twenty-eight years ago, St Thomas the Apostle Church started a food basket outreach program designed to help needy families in the Billings community during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter seasons. Each holiday, the outreach program touches the lives of hundreds of needy families in the community, and, at the same time, warms the hearts of the entire St. Thomas parish family.
The project begins several weeks prior to the upcoming holiday when applications for food assistance are taken to the local public elementary schools where teachers and school staff identify families that need help. The number of families assisted at each holiday ranges from 115 to 140.
Sign-up sheets are placed at the church entrances and parishioners indicate what foods they will provide to complete the baskets; including turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and hams for Easter. Fresh vegetables and all the extras are added to ensure a delicious holiday dinner. Each family receives at least two large boxes of food, enough for several days. Additional food is provided to larger families and during the longer Christmas season, when kids are on break from school.
Parishioners deliver their food goods at the parish and 300 large boxes are picked up at a local super market. Fresh vegetables, potatoes, cheeses and perishables are purchased to ensure that fresh, well-rounded, baskets are provided. The boxes, often 450 lineal feet of cardboard, are filled on Fridays. Sunday, after the morning masses, parish families personally deliver the food baskets to the doors of the needy families with a smile, warm introduction and a simple greeting… “We’re from St. Thomas Catholic Church and want help you and your family this Thanksgiving season…. Happy Thanksgiving!”
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