Cathedral of Hope volunteers will distribute some 500 baskets of food, feeding several thousand North Texans for Thanksgiving.
Thousands will have a holiday meal thanks to Cathedral of Hope’s annual project
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
By Sunday morning, Nov. 24, Cathedral of Hope will be filled with laundry baskets — rectangular, sturdy Rubbermaid preferred. Nothing unusual about that. It’s been going on for 36 years.
On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the Cathedral distributes Thanksgiving baskets to 500 recipients, explained Peggy Wheaton, the project’s lead. She’s been involved since 2000 and is leading the project for her fifth time.
“Some friends that I knew at the church were coordinating the project,” she said. “I followed in behind them to volunteer and was hooked.”
Wheaton described the project as “a dedicated effort every year at Thanksgiving to provide Thanksgiving baskets to create a meal for someone in our community who needs it.”
Who knows just how many people she and her team are feeding?
Each of the 500 baskets that will be distributing starts with an 8-to-12 pound frozen turkey followed by a list of other items to make a complete, traditional Thanksgiving banquet. Every basket will feed five to 10 people.
So this completely volunteer project will provide the holiday meal for several thousand people.
Wheaton’s team is not cooking, she explained. They’re distributing a basket of ingredients that recipients can cook at home for the holiday.
Who’s receiving the baskets? Church members who need help; community members in the area who’ve called the church because they need help; clients of agencies who’ve been partnering with Cathedral of Hope for years.
Wheaton said AIDS Services Dallas is the biggest recipient of baskets for their residents who live in apartment-style units with kitchens. She said a hospice center receives baskets, a neighboring school and another DISD group.
In all, about six agencies receive help.
Every year, the church starts getting calls from people asking for help around the holiday, long before Wheaton and her volunteers begin preparing for the massive undertaking.
“It’s been going on for so long that there’s strong word of mouth,” she said.
That word of mouth includes both people receiving Thanksgiving baskets and contributors.
Much of the food comes from food pantries, but church members also contribute completed baskets that they’ve shopped for themselves.
Start with one rectangular laundry basket — sturdy Rubbermaid suggested, as already noted — or a large sturdy tote bag or similar container.
From there, the shopping list includes one frozen 8-12 pound turkey. Ham or chicken of the same size will do if no turkeys are available.
Next are the trimmings: One 3-5 pound bag of potatoes, two boxes of dressing, two cans of green beans, two cans of corn, two cans of yams, two cans of fruit cocktail, peaches or pears, two cans or packets of gravy, two cans of cranberry sauce, two cans or one box of chicken broth, one box of biscuit or pancake mix, one cake mix and frosting, one can of coffee or a box of tea or both, one bag of dried beans and one bag of rice.
And a roasting pan.
“We expanded the baskets a few years ago to add things that will extend use for a few days,” Wheaton said. “Beans, rice, spaghetti, sauce.”
Some will add paper plates and a tablecloth and some additional snacks.
This year, about 115 parishioners committed to bringing a basket.
“I tell them: You come in at 10 and by 10:15 agencies are picking up baskets,” Wheaton said. “Our goal is every basket is out by noon.”
Receiving and delivering the baskets on that Sunday morning works like a well-oiled machine. About 45 volunteers work to make sure things go off without a hitch. There’s a team to direct traffic, 15 folks to assemble baskets and a team to load vans for agencies.
“People who come through to receive a basket are so appreciative,” Wheaton said. “They’re genuinely thankful. We tend to see the same people year after year. The idea is that they can count on us, and we can bring joy to their faces.”
For one moment in time, Wheaton explained, they’re not having to worry about their next meal.
To make a cash donation that will go toward any items that need to be purchased from the supermarket can be made on the church’s website at CathedralOfHope.com.