WS Chronicle

For the past 10 years, Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church has marked Thanksgiving by giving away turkeys to those in need in the community. From a humble beginning with just 50 turkeys in 2009, this year the giveaway reached amazing new heights with volunteers passing out more than 700 turkeys last weekend.

Along with the turkeys, the members at Mt. Carmel also passed out brand new coats and hosted a community dinner at the church located on Heitman Drive. When discussing the giveaway and the community dinner, Pastor Daryl Young said the annual event has become one that the entire community looks forward to. 

“The first year we may have done about 50 boxes and it’s grown every year. Each year we try to do more than the previous year,” Young said. “Last year we did about 400 turkeys so this year, including the roasters, we have about 800 total we’re going to be giving away. It has really been a blessing to the people here in the Easton community and for anyone else in need; it doesn’t matter men, women, boys, girls, everyone is welcome.”

Before helping several families by delivering turkeys to their vehicles, Pastor Young said the turkey giveaway and the other community service events the church hosts throughout the year is their way of giving back to the community. He said while some churches may expect something in return for their generosity, at Mt. Carmel they do it from the kindness of their hearts. 

“If you treat people with love and compassion and have that same compassion that Christ did, you can really make a difference and for me, I try to look at people through the eyes of God. And if you can look at someone through the eyes of God, you should be able to serve anybody,” Young continued. “Because it’s a privilege to serve, it’s a blessing to serve, so we come out here with smiles on our faces, we just try to do it with love. The real definition of charity is to give something away with no expectations of receiving anything in return.”

Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church is located 3230 Heitman Drive. For more information, visit Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church on Facebook or call 336-784-7802.