St. Mark Baptist feeds the sick and shut in on Thanksgiving
Photo by Timothy Ramsey
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
We all enjoy sitting around the dining room table and fellowshipping with family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday. For some, that is not a luxury they can afford. For others, they may not be physically able to do so because of illness.
To assist with those who did not have a hot home cooked meal for Thanksgiving, the congregation of St. Mark Baptist Church held its 19th annual “Sick and Shut in Thanksgiving dinner” on Thanksgiving Day.
The church prepared a large amount of food that included: turkey, ham, potato salad, green beans, stuffing, bread and cake. The church welcomed individuals from the surrounding community to come to the church and eat but their main focus was to receive call-in orders from group homes, nursing homes and members who are sick and shut in. They in turn would make the plates for those individuals and deliver them to their homes free of charge.
There were three ladies who initiated the Thanksgiving dinner some 19 years ago: Pearl Cook, Minnie Harris and Mattie Bailey. They said they went to the pastor and asked if they could make the dinner instead of handing out pre-made boxed dinners. Now the church averages close to 250 meals made to help those in need.
“God has been good to me, and I have had my share of sickness, but He brought me up from the sick bed,” said Pearl Cook, one of the organizers of the dinner. “So I figured when our church wanted to do something to help somebody else and relieve them of the trouble of not having anything to eat on Thanksgiving, we definitely wanted to do something.”
Minnie Harris said most of the food was donated from the members in the church, which they in turn give to the ladies and they prepare the meals to go out. She says she really enjoys helping others, especially those who cannot get out of bed to make their own meals.
St. Mark First Lady Hattie Fulwood added, “The biggest pleasure I get out of this is seeing that everyone is getting fed. I don’t like to see anyone being hungry. And if St. Mark can help the sick, shut in and the homeless, it’s a blessing for me.”
