Three hundred Thanksgiving meals will go to students and their families

Blessings come in many different shapes and sizes and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to recount and rejoice in them. 

This year, a blessing comes in the shape of a Thanksgiving meal, generously provided through the Winnemucca Boys & Girls Club, and their partnerships with the Truckee Meadows Boys & Girls Club, the Humboldt County School District (HCSD), and Living Stones Church Winnemucca. Thanks to these generous bodies, 300 families in the community can rest easy knowing that they will  have a special holiday meal. 

According to Chad Peters, Executive Director of the Winnemucca Boys & Girls Club, the Holiday Boxes include a traditional Thanksgiving meal and even pie for dessert. Peters also explained that a total of 1,500 meals were donated by anonymous sources in Reno, and they made sure that 300 of them came to Humboldt County as a part of the donation.   

“With the rising costs of everything — from gas to food and daily expenses — we are hoping that by providing a free Thanksgiving dinner to these 300 families, that it will at least help them have a slightly less stressful holiday,” explained Peters in an email. 

Families that will receive the meal boxes were identified with the help of the Humboldt County School District and counselors at all of the schools, including the rurals. The HCSD plays a big part in seeing the needs that students and their families might have because they see the students almost every day. 

“Thanksgiving provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the positives in our individual lives, and also provides an opportunity to give back to our community. The Boys and Girls Club saw a need within families that may struggle to have a Thanksgiving meal and wanted to support these students and families.  Our friends at the Boys and Girls Club demonstrate that true Thanksgiving spirit,” said Humboldt County Superintendent, Dr. Dave Jensen, in an email.  

Living Stones Church Winnemucca has been helping provide Thanksgiving meals to the community for many years, and has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club for the past three of the five years that the Club has helped secure meals for families during the holiday season. This year, the church will be handling distribution of the meals and will be delivering them to all seven schools the Friday before Thanksgiving. 

According to Shana Murdock, Administrative Director, for Living Stones Church Winnemucca, any meals that are leftover after the deliveries to the schools will go to the Winnemucca Food Bank.  

“We enjoy working with the school district and the Boys & Girls Club and strategizing about how we can serve our community together,” said Murdock. 

The holidays can bring both gratitude and stress, but the families receiving these meals can feel the love and support of those invested in the community. 

“Kids are our primary focus as a Boys & Girls Club but stepping up to help out our community is really our passion. We are dedicated to going above and beyond for our community,” said Peters.