By Willoe Phillips.

Different student organizations participate in Arrow Ford’s Mission Thanksgiving on Nov. 17, 2023.

“I helped unload bags full of clothes and other things people donated,” sophomore Shelby Palmore said. “Then I helped load a lot of trucks.” 

People drove through and dropped off goods to be distributed to the homeless community to ensure they have the essentials for the upcoming winter. 

“Being a part of these things are important to me because of the leadership, understanding that I can put my service and do good things,” sophomore Faith Tedford said. 

Mission Thanksgiving gives the community an opportunity to give to people in need, with blankets, clothes, food and other necessities. 

“I know some of the people out there on our streets and they get really cold in the winter,” Health Occupations Students of America president Caleb Hardin said. “Their blankets have holes in them and they don’t have enough food to satisfy them over the holidays.” 

Mission Thanksgiving is an annual event and the students who participate in helping are grateful they were able to lend a helping hand to supply things to the community in need.

“It was fun to see the amount of stuff we were able to donate and how many people were willing to help others in a time of need,” junior Brenna Barbarick said. “Especially coming into Thanksgiving.” 

Those who participated received a multitude of different jobs. The jobs included loading and unloading trucks, sorting food, clothes and toiletries.

“Talking to everybody and meeting new people was really special,” Palmore said. “The people who volunteered were really amazing.”

Even whilst working, the student volunteers still managed to make it fun for themselves by turning it into a game. 

“Me and a couple of other people got to go to the warehouse and drop stuff,” Tedford said. “It was fun to run back and forth to see how big the pile got. 

Mission Thanksgiving allowed members of the community to meet and help each other out, meeting new people was a fulfilling experience for those who attended and assisted. 

“We do it to help our community in need,” Hardin said. “This is my second year doing it, and I plan on doing it again next year.”