COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Many lined up outside Ecumenical Social Ministries (ESM) Monday, waiting to pick their Thanksgiving food bags.
“‘Cause we don’t have food, we really don’t have any food,” said Drenna Pouch, who received a basket.
For some, the huge help got people like Pouch, emotional.
“I don’t have all my family with me, my daughter and my grandson are all that’s with me. And we couldn’t afford to get anything. We have no food or no resources right now except for here, and I found out about it right here,” Pouch said.
Preparations for the giveaway took three months of collecting food and all of Saturday to pack each meal.
“Each bag is individualized for the number of people in the family. So, we had a family of 12 this morning and they had two big bags of groceries and a 28 pound turkey. So, we saved the smaller turkeys for the one and two-sized families,” said Ann Lantz, executive director of ESM.
Families say they’re appreciative and grateful they’ll be able to feed their family.
“There’s been times where we didn’t have anywhere to go, we didn’t have a kitchen to cook our food in. And we would come to places like this to where they would have soup kitchens and feed me and the kids so, I appreciate it a lot,” said Christina Sullivan, who supports her three children herself.
Families say without this outpour of support from the community, things would be different.
“Oh no, I don’t think we would have anything. We wouldn’t be having a Thanksgiving,” Pouch said.
ESM will also be handing out free hats and scarves to families in need.
Meals that aren’t picked up will be given away on a first come, first serve basis on Wednesday.
ESM is located on North Weber at the corner of Bijou.
They also have a clothing bank, jobs department, and housing department.
