Local nonprofit provides 'fully loaded' Thanksgiving to needy families

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -  More than 100 needy families across the Gulf Coast will have a fully loaded Thanksgiving meal thanks to Tri-Coastal Community Outreach Inc. in Grand Bay.

Volunteers have been working to collect and pack food for the Wednesday, November 21 Thanksgiving distribution, which kicks off at 9:30 a.m.

Families receiving the food and supplies were pre-selected and were referred by local churches, social workers and other organizations.

One of the organizers, Carolyn Thompson, said while she is giving thanks with her family, she will also be thinking of others.

"I know that there's a 100 to 150 families being able to do the exact same thing with a smile on their face and not worried about 'How am I going to afford this for this day?' If just for one day," she said.

Officials with the organization said on Tuesday, Nov. 20 alone, Tri-Coastal Community Outreach Inc., received donations of 111 turkeys and 18 roasted hens to include in its Thanksgiving distribution.

“We just took donations up from all the employees there,” said one donor helped collect money from co-workers at a Pascagoula shipyard. “We took that and went out to find the best deal on turkeys and bought what we could and brought them here.”

Each Thanksgiving box is intended to feed a family of four to six.

Tri-Coastal Community has served more than 43,000 individuals in the past year alone and was formed in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina.

The organization can still use donations and food for the Christmas holiday.