By Dean Vaglia
Leader Staff Writer
The spirit of giving is alive and well in Oxford. Volunteers passed meals and groceries to those in need at Immanuel Congregational Church on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 24 — the day before Thanksgiving.
Normally starting at 5 p.m., there was enough demand Wednesday night that volunteers started early around 4:40 p.m. Around 110 meals were served by 5 p.m. and over 140 were served by the end of the night.
“It was like a party,” Connie Miller, manager of the program, said. “The new people who came, I know many of them will be back.”
Boxed meals were filled with Thanksgiving staples like turkey, cornbread and cranberry sauce. Groceries distributed included a mix of baked, canned and fresh foods and drinks like milk, eggs and pies. Teri Stiles cooked and prepared meals while Paula Thomas managed the groceries from inside the church.
Miller says the program will continue making meals and passing out groceries every Wednesday night at Immanuel Congregational from 5-6:30 p.m.
“We have a pretty smooth streamlined operation at this point — unfortunately we’ve gotten really good at this,” Miller said. “We just keep plugging away.”
Alongside the free meals, the program is also giving out coats for the winter months. But the demand for food and goods is increasing.
“A lot of people say ‘Well I don’t have much to give,’” Miller said. “If 10 people give a dollar each, that buys a lot of milk.”
Those interested in donating can contact Miller at 248-933-4579.
“We’ve been doing this for I think 90 weeks now,” Miller said. “We have not missed a Wednesday since [COVID-19] fell back in mid-March of 2020. I’m incredibly proud not only of our team but of our community. People have come together in surprising ways. Every time we need something it seems to appear. You tend to overlook, with all the other stuff going on, the heartbeat of our community, and I’ve been honored to see that every day.”