Turkey giveaway right on time for needy families

By St. Clair Murraine

Outlook staff writer

Before last Friday, Patricia Slocum wasn’t sure whether she and her family would have a Christmas dinner.

She was simply thinking “I was going to do the best I could.”

Her dinner plans became more definite after driving up to a turkey giveaway put on by Bethel Missionary Baptist’s Compassion Ministry. The goal was to give away 400 turkeys with the sides.

For Slocum, the giveaway was right on time. She is caring for a niece and a nephew and her son recently lost his job.

“This is great because there are so many families in need right now,” she said. “There are so many families who are down on their luck.”

Those who came through to the parking lot adjacent to the church on Martin Luther King Blvd. also got a stuffed toy. Malinda Jackson James, who leads the Compassion Ministry, said experiencing a pandemic at Christmas makes the giveaway essential for families that are faced with the economic effects of the coronavirus.

That made it easy for her to accept the assignment from Rev. RB Holmes, pastor at Bethel.

“I decided that if I can go into the Wal-Mart or wherever, then I can do a few other things and have good sense,” she said. “All of us out here are thinking the same thing.”

Indeed, Mitchell Clark, one of the volunteers, had the needy on his mind. He and others passed out packages that included macaroni and cheese, green beans and dressing.

“We are helping those who are less fortunate than we are,” Clark said. “This is a critical time due to COVID. A lot of people have lost jobs and a lot of people don’t have what they need to survive. We are stepping into that gap and helping them along the way.”

Lincoln High School football coach B.J. Daniels brought along some of his players to help hand out turkeys. Each averaged between 14-16 pounds.

Daniels said the experience that his players had as volunteers is something that he also leaned while growing up in Bethel. 

“It’s something that I’ve been taught and I just want to continue to give that to our younger kids,” Daniels said. “Hopefully this is something that touches them and they enjoy doing it their entire lives.”

Junior defensive end Michael Daniels said he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to volunteer because of what it meant to the people who came out for the food.

“It’s real serious,” he said. “I didn’t know it was going to be this many people out here.

“I’m more fortunate so I feel like I need to give back. I said I didn’t have anything else to do so I might as well come out here.”

Jackson James, a retired education administrator, echoed Daniels’ sentiments that having the teenage players assist is a life lesson.

“That’s what all of us are trying to do with this; help the young people to see the importance of doing something for others,” she said. “Everything is not about us but it’s about doing something for others and making life a little bit better for others.”