Contributed by Matthew Sheets
Giving from the Heart Thanksgiving Dinner
11/28/2019 - 11AM
Frontline Mission
Menard Sports Center
1001 S Clapp St. Wasilla
FREE Event
“If we didn’t have Frontline Mission, we wouldn’t be in a good place,” said Sarah, a young mother and patron at Frontline Mission, as she shared about her family a month before the annual “Giving from the Heart Thanksgiving Dinner”. *continue reading to see Sarah’s story*
Each year, Frontline Mission holds a Thanksgiving Day dinner for anyone in the Mat-Su Valley. Many may be home alone this Thanksgiving or unable to afford a Thanksgiving meal for their family. Frontline strives to strengthen the Mat-Su Valley by being a connecting place between the less fortunate and compassionate.
Frontline Mission’s Giving from the Heart Thanksgiving Dinner does just that! In 2018 Frontline Mission served almost 1,600 meals at the Menard Center in Wasilla on Thanksgiving Day, and is expecting even more to benefit from this meal in 2019. This year’s dinner will be from 11am-2pm on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 28th.
Through the Thanksgiving Dinner, Frontline is providing not only an opportunity for anyone in the community to have a place to go and spend time with others, but Frontline is also opening the door for people to come together as family and friends to volunteer and serve others. Having put this special dinner on for several years, Frontline has seen many volunteering families adopt this as a Thanksgiving Day Family Tradition. What better way to give back to the community than as a family providing a hot meal and serving others. More than 300 volunteers help make this event possible for our community.
Frontline Mission meets the needs of those in the community not only through events like the Thanksgiving Dinner, but in the day to day operations at Frontline. Every week, Frontline provides hot meals, showers, laundry, free clothing, opportunities for online job search, breakfast bags for children and food boxes for families. It is through the compassionate in the community that Frontline is able to do what they do, as they do not receive any state or federal funding. Businesses, foundations and local individuals give to Frontline Mission every month and by so doing make a lasting impact in the community.
Here is part of Sarah’s story:
John and Sarah, along with their little boy, Johnny, moved to Alaska from California just over a year ago to settle down on some land in a remote part of Alaska. Having only two suitcases and the clothes on their backs when they moved, they quickly fell on hard times. With no home on the property, John and Sarah were forced to seek a place to live until they were able to establish enough resources to build a small home on their land. Having limited clothing and resources, they heard about Frontline Mission from a friend in the community. They have been helped by the free clothes and hot meals that Frontline serves every week. It was especially important for Johnny to get the nourishment and clothes he needed to develop as a healthy child. Sarah shared, “If we didn’t have Frontline Mission, we wouldn’t be in a good place.” Sarah spoke of the warm, friendly volunteers who graciously serve and make them feel welcomed at Frontline. When the family no longer needs some of the clothes they have received from Frontline, they look to give back in whatever way they can to help others who may find themselves in a similar situation.
After some time, Sarah’s mom began to suffer from failing health and had no option but to move in with John and Sarah so they could help support her. John and Sarah express the value and importance of caring for family and the elderly in our community. John shared that Sarah’s mom has been able to get her needs provided for because of the services Frontline provides. Your support also helps provide services year round.
If you want to know how you can support Frontline Mission, call 357-8600 or send an email at helpfrontlinemission.com.
