Give Back with the Thanksgiving Basket Project

/in , , , /by

Cary, NC — A local church in Cary is ramping up for their yearly Thanksgiving project that helps to feed hundreds of families in need during the holiday season.

In previous years, the Roman Catholic church on High House Road, St. Michael’s, had the community make food and monetary donations with volunteers decorating the baskets and boxes of food donations.

This year, the event will look a bit different with COVID-19 safety measures, but the help is still greatly needed on the donation front.

A church representative, Courtney Zukowski said, “This is a great way to help families in need during the holidays and bring our community together.”

How to Donate

Financial Donations

The total cost of a filled basket this year is $50, but any size donations are being accepted on the St. Michael’s website.

A note on their website says, “Early donations go a long way toward helping us plan how many meals we can provide.”

Food Donations

Food donations will also be accepted for this project. There are two donation days coming up — Saturday, November 14 during evening mass and all-day on Sunday, November 15. Here’s what’s on the shopping list:

  • Sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Soup (No cream)
  • Spaghetti sauce
  • Peanut butter
  • Vegetable oil
  • Potatoes
  • Rice
  • Dried beans
  • Pasta
  • Stuffing
  • Macaroni & cheese
  • 12-15 lb. frozen turkey (Only accepted during the weekend of November 21 & 22)
  • Roasting pan

According to Zukowski, Publix has been a crucial partner with them in helping with donations, especially with a lot of their usual avenues not helping this year due to COVID.

Decoration, Assembly, Distribution

The weekend of November 14-15 will be the family decorating event where families can sign up in advance to decorate boxes and cards. This will be the only opportunity to decorate boxes and cards. The church will not be allowing these activities during the weekend of the event as in years past. If interested, use this online form to sign up.

After the boxes and cards are made and the donations are in, the assembly of the Thanksgiving baskets will take place the weekend of November 20 – 21. Unlike in years past, families will not be allowed into the Parish Center to assemble the boxes as church staff say it is “near impossible” to do so while maintaining social distancing requirements.

For more information on this project, contact the project committee at [email protected]. You can also keep up with the event on Facebook.

Story by Ashley Kairis.

All the Cary news for the informed Cary citizen. Subscribe by email.