It is common to spend time and reflect on what we have to be thankful for during Thanksgiving. But it is also a great time to give back. For several years, a group from CrossRidge has been helping out in the community by serving food for Thanksgiving to seniors in our community.
This year, Al Gaines, Connections Minister, and Zandi McCarroll of CrossRidge Church took the lead in providing and serving food to the residents at Lakeside Manor on November 19. Feeding this many people is no small feat. To begin, we needed volunteers to serve the food and to buy, cook, and prepare it.
An enormous task was ahead. How do we get 20 turkeys and 20 hams, store them, cook them, and serve them?
And just when it seemed too big to pull off, God showed up. Local companies began helping out. Todd and Monica Rohwer of Air Repair Pros, Debbie Hatfield of D3 Salon, and Chad Lacarte of Towers Tap House donated a large portion of the food and supplies needed. In addition, many of our church members and others in the community donated items such as green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, corn, pies, and more. These were tremendous blessings, but we still needed help with one monumental task. How do we cook all of this?
Twenty turkeys and 20 hams require a lot of space to store, prepare, cook and get ready to serve. Al and Zandi looked at asking as many individuals as possible to try and get this done. One home may be able to store and cook a turkey or two, but we would need several for 20 turkeys and 20 hams, especially during the Thanksgiving season.
We began to pray, and God started to meet our needs as we prayed. Chad Lacarte of Towers Tap House stored all the meat in his freezers and refrigerators and helped with food prep. Brandon Hurtado, with Hurtado BBQ, cooked all 20 turkeys and 20 hams and prepared them for serving. With their help and the help of CrossRidge members and others in the community, we got everything cooked and ready to go.
When it came time, we brought the food and other items to Lakeside Manor’s kitchen, where we served the residents some of the best-tasting turkey, ham, and sides Texas offers.
People from CrossRidge Church and the community came together and helped serve our seniors and made it a Thanksgiving to remember.
Special thanks go out to:
- Air Repair Pros – Todd and Monica Rohwer
- D3 Salon – Debbie Hatfield
- Hurtado BBQ – Brandon Hurtado
- Towers Tap House – Chad Lacarte
- Zandi McCarroll and other CrossRidge Members
- Several others in the community
