The North Cascade Church in Burlington, Wash., recently marked its 10th anniversary for providing Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets for community families.
Members filled and delivered food boxes to a combined total of 71 families in 2011. The boxes also included Christmas gifts from the Giving Tree in the church foyer.
The church features a Food of the Month program all year by asking members to bring specific items each month to build up inventory for the most-needed items.
Pathfinders hold two neighborhood food drives in addition to a youth Sabbath School class food drive to help fill the food baskets.
The Adventurer Club created gift-wrapped pasta meals that were included in each basket, and another church member created a soup package with all the ingredients and the recipe for making the soup. In addition, each basket included a copy of Steps to Christ.
The families receiving these food baskets are grateful. "We don't need to worry anymore because God just blessed us with more food," says a child of a single mother of two who received a food basket.
Church members feel blessed to help families by working together to make a difference within the Skagit Valley.
Cole Witas loads a box for delivery to the community as part of the North Cascade (Wash.) Church's food basket ministry in Skagit County.
Vanoy and Joan Smith help prepare food baskets for families in Skagit County.
