- Volunteers spent hours cooking and serving families in Wakulla County this Thanksgiving
- They re planning to serve around 700 people in Panacea and Crawfordville
- Watch the video to see how they're making a difference one hot meal at a time
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A busy kitchen and turkeys lined up on the counter...
For the fourth year.
This feeding event started when best friends, Lois Cook and Megan Curlee decided to cook Thanksgiving meals for their community.
Since then, they've gotten multiple volunteers to help them cook meals the day before Thanksgiving and bring them to Hudson Park and Panacea.
Megan Curlee: "It makes you feel like you're making a change in their life."
And the need is here…I've covered several stories about Wakulla County food deserts, specifically Panacea and Sopchoppy. (Show old broll)
With limited access to grocery stores… efforts like this help families have a hot meal during the holidays.
Over the years of serving Cook has noticed the joy it brings.
"How many people that you touch in the community that are really thankful for what you're doing? You know some of them don't have family around you know so a meal because sometimes I want to cook a big meal just for you so they come in and I really appreciative of it."
Their gathering has grown over the years.
In 2022, they fed about 490 people and 680 last year. This year they're hoping for 700.
The support is also growing with volunteers like Jason Grimsley who helps prepare meals.
"There are some people that will not get a Thanksgiving meal, and I think it's important that we recognize that trying to make an effort to help people where we can."
It's a tradition that Curlee says is here for years to come.
"I feel like we're making a big change in the community helping people out and that's what it's all about.
