Giving at Thanksgiving: Deadline for free Thanksgiving baskets is Friday
Rae Nicely
The deadline for receiving a free Thanksgiving basket for individuals and families from Lehigh Community Services is Friday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Rae Nicely, who runs the agency, said many families have already come to their office to sign up and to see if they qualify for the free food.
This is an annual event that started decades ago and has continued with the help of lots of people and organizations, Nicely said.
Last year, Lehigh Community Services gave away around 350 Thanksgiving dinner baskets.
Each basket or bag of food contains all the necessary trimmings that go with a turkey dinner. Those who are eligible to receive turkeys will receive a gift card which can be taken to a supermarket to purchase the Thanksgiving bird. Some individuals will be given gift cards to purchase large chicken oven stuffers, Nicely said.
To register before the deadline, Nicely said applicants who feel that they may be eligible for the Thanksgiving food must come to Lehigh Social Services which is on Plaza Drive in Lehigh. You should bring proof of identity, proof of earnings, and perhaps a utility bill to show where you live.
Food for the Thanksgiving giveaway comes from various sources in Lehigh, including the Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers which sells food inexpensively to places in the county that give away food to the needy. Other sources of food include several individuals, the mail carrier’s drive for food, contributions from several clubs and churches in Lehigh.
If you would like to help in this year’s Thanksgiving basket giveaway, Nicely said you should purchase a gift card from one of the local food markets in Lehigh. If you would like for the gift card to purchase a turkey, make sure it is enough. You can get gift cards from $10 up to $20 and $25. They can be taken to Lehigh Community Services on Plaza Drive, which is behind the Lee County Sheriff’s East Zone substation and directly behind the Lehigh Acres Senior Citizens Center.
Years ago, the agency gave away frozen turkeys but the caring of the frozen meat and the logistics of picking them up made it difficult as the number of needy people increased, due to the Great Recession of the last few years.
Nicely said she couldn’t express herself enough of the generosity of the people of Lehigh and its clubs, organizations and churches that donate food, gift certificates and money to buy food.
“You still hear that Lehigh is a bad place to live and that the crime is bad here, but all of that is not true. It’s people stepping up to the plate whenever we need help here at Lehigh Community Services.
“We have annual drives by the postmen and we have organizations that hold events to raise money to purchase food for the agency plus financial contributions from so many clubs and churches that make all of this possible.
“We are able to provide food to the eligible people here throughout the year,” Nicely said. “And most of the people are very appreciative of the help. Most thanks us for the food.”
Nicely noted that Save A Lot, a local supermarket on Homestead Rd. has filled bags with groceries for Thanksgiving and shoppers can purchase them in the store’s lobby for $7 each. Then the store sends the food to us to use in our holiday program.
“We have already, as of last week, received 91 bags of food from them. It’s absolutely phenomenal. Then there is the Good Time Girls, a group of young women mostly in their 20s and 30s who eat out together and afterwards, go to the supermarket and buy food for us to sponsor 15 families. It’s people like this that make what we do enjoyable. We want those who are eligible to receive help,” she said.
But it has been noted in the past, that there are some in Lehigh who try to get free food from as many places as they can. But to make sure those who need food get theirs, all the agencies, the food banks, etc., all network together. If someone applies to one place and is accepted, then they are not able to go somewhere else to get the Thanksgiving food.
“To us, it is like those people who think it is ethical to double dip, are causing others not to be able to get food because the allotments of food will be depleted,” Nicely said.
There will be five locations this year where the Thanksgiving baskets will be given to families. Those who apply will be told the date and where to go to pick up their free food, which will be the week before or of Thanksgiving.
Giving at Thanksgiving: Deadline for free Thanksgiving baskets is Friday
Rae Nicely
The deadline for receiving a free Thanksgiving basket for individuals and families from Lehigh Community Services is Friday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Rae Nicely, who runs the agency, said many families have already come to their office to sign up and to see if they qualify for the free food.
This is an annual event that started decades ago and has continued with the help of lots of people and organizations, Nicely said.
Last year, Lehigh Community Services gave away around 350 Thanksgiving dinner baskets.
Each basket or bag of food contains all the necessary trimmings that go with a turkey dinner. Those who are eligible to receive turkeys will receive a gift card which can be taken to a supermarket to purchase the Thanksgiving bird. Some individuals will be given gift cards to purchase large chicken oven stuffers, Nicely said.
To register before the deadline, Nicely said applicants who feel that they may be eligible for the Thanksgiving food must come to Lehigh Social Services which is on Plaza Drive in Lehigh. You should bring proof of identity, proof of earnings, and perhaps a utility bill to show where you live.
Food for the Thanksgiving giveaway comes from various sources in Lehigh, including the Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers which sells food inexpensively to places in the county that give away food to the needy. Other sources of food include several individuals, the mail carrier’s drive for food, contributions from several clubs and churches in Lehigh.
If you would like to help in this year’s Thanksgiving basket giveaway, Nicely said you should purchase a gift card from one of the local food markets in Lehigh. If you would like for the gift card to purchase a turkey, make sure it is enough. You can get gift cards from $10 up to $20 and $25. They can be taken to Lehigh Community Services on Plaza Drive, which is behind the Lee County Sheriff’s East Zone substation and directly behind the Lehigh Acres Senior Citizens Center.
Years ago, the agency gave away frozen turkeys but the caring of the frozen meat and the logistics of picking them up made it difficult as the number of needy people increased, due to the Great Recession of the last few years.
Nicely said she couldn’t express herself enough of the generosity of the people of Lehigh and its clubs, organizations and churches that donate food, gift certificates and money to buy food.
“You still hear that Lehigh is a bad place to live and that the crime is bad here, but all of that is not true. It’s people stepping up to the plate whenever we need help here at Lehigh Community Services.
“We have annual drives by the postmen and we have organizations that hold events to raise money to purchase food for the agency plus financial contributions from so many clubs and churches that make all of this possible.
“We are able to provide food to the eligible people here throughout the year,” Nicely said. “And most of the people are very appreciative of the help. Most thanks us for the food.”
Nicely noted that Save A Lot, a local supermarket on Homestead Rd. has filled bags with groceries for Thanksgiving and shoppers can purchase them in the store’s lobby for $7 each. Then the store sends the food to us to use in our holiday program.
“We have already, as of last week, received 91 bags of food from them. It’s absolutely phenomenal. Then there is the Good Time Girls, a group of young women mostly in their 20s and 30s who eat out together and afterwards, go to the supermarket and buy food for us to sponsor 15 families. It’s people like this that make what we do enjoyable. We want those who are eligible to receive help,” she said.
But it has been noted in the past, that there are some in Lehigh who try to get free food from as many places as they can. But to make sure those who need food get theirs, all the agencies, the food banks, etc., all network together. If someone applies to one place and is accepted, then they are not able to go somewhere else to get the Thanksgiving food.
“To us, it is like those people who think it is ethical to double dip, are causing others not to be able to get food because the allotments of food will be depleted,” Nicely said.
There will be five locations this year where the Thanksgiving baskets will be given to families. Those who apply will be told the date and where to go to pick up their free food, which will be the week before or of Thanksgiving.
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