Feed My Sheep asks for volunteers in 21st annual Thanksgiving Community Outreach

One local outreach organization is calling upon Ball State students to help provide Thanksgiving dinners to those in need in the Muncie community.

Feed My Sheep started 20 years ago and since then has fed hundreds of area residents through several meals and delivery to homes on Thanksgiving day.

In 1996, founders George and Teresa Huggins answered a heartfelt call to reach out to others and start an outreach that would fill a void for the lonely and less fortunate, while reaching across lines and uniting the Muncie community, according to Feed My Sheep's website. Joined by a host of donors and volunteers, the Harvest Celebration Thanksgiving Day Dinner has grown to become a tremendous expression of the generous “spirit of community” very much alive in Muncie.

Feed My Sheep is approaching its 21st annual Thanksgiving Community Outreach and is asking for help in preparing as the organization is expecting to serve more than 1,000 meals to families Nov. 24. 

“We really wanted to get the word out and to get volunteers and sponsorships,” said Lanisha Huggins, public relations intern for Feed My Sheep. “We are asking people to donate canned foods, non-perishable items, gift cards, money, et cetera just to feed more people.”

Every year, volunteers help sort food the day before and the day of Thanksgiving at Muncie Central High School, where the dinner is held.

“We give families hot meals and hand out bags of food to families to have for the holiday every year. We also have many drivers that go to the family’s homes who might not be able to go to where we are located,” Huggins said.

The organization is calling out to Ball State to help make a difference through volunteering.

“Volunteering is so important. To actually see the face of someone who hasn’t had a meal all day, or even that week … to see how appreciative they are, is eye opening,” Huggins said. “Knowing that you are giving back to your community instead of just talking and giving donations and things like that, is just really a different feeling.”

To volunteer, students can visit Feed My Sheep’s official website and fill out a volunteer application, then go to Muncie Central from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 24 for the annual Thanksgiving Community Outreach event.

Huggins, who worked as a volunteer up until this year and is now a member of the board, encourages others to get involved because her experience with the organization has opened her eyes to those in need.

“I love Feed My Sheep,” Huggins said. “This experience has changed me because before, during Thanksgiving, I was usually with my church family, people I know instead of being with total strangers, but the fellowship on the day of Thanksgiving and being able to talk to families and just interact and things like that is amazing. Being a part of this has kind of changed my heart about giving.”

If you want to get involved before Thanksgiving, Feed My Sheep is currently hosting a community food dive that will be taking donations until Nov. 21. The group has collection sites at businesses and schools across the Muncie area where community members can drop of canned food and non-perishable items. There is a drop-off site in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.

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