Temple to host Thanksgiving dinner drop-off

Temple Beth Am, North Presbyterian Church, Buffalo Church of Christ and Temple Beth Zion will be gathering complete Thanksgiving dinners to hand out to local nonprofit charities to feed more than 500 needy Western New York Families at 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 from Temple Beth Am, 4660 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville.

"This program is an annual collaborative effort that really touches area families," said Chris Cohan, Temple Beth Am committee chair. "We have been helping needy families since 1980, and we estimate over 13,000 complete meals have been distributed over that period."

Each basket contains a frozen turkey, stuffing mix, potatoes, dried or canned soup, cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, a beverage, bread or rolls and a dessert.

Since its inception, Temple Beth Am, along with the TBA Religious School and North Presbyterian Church have worked together on the project. Temple Beth Zion's Religious School joined the efforts two years ago, and this is the first year for the Buffalo Church of Christ.

Williamsville East High School also collects food for the project and helps prepare the baskets for distribution.

Area nonprofits receiving baskets include Amherst Domestic Violence Task Force, Amherst Presbyterian Church, Amherst Senior Center, Catholic Charities, Citizens Community Development Corporation, Community Action Organization/ Headstart and Cornerstone Manor/City Mission.

Also: Families Helping Families/Foster Parent Network, First Presbyterian Church, Hispanics United of Buffalo, Jewish Family Service, Journeys End, Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, Morlock Foundation, Temple Beth Am, Temple Beth Zion, University Presbyterian Church Food Pantry and West Avenue Presbyterian Church.

"We are very thankful for all of the communities that pull together every year for this project. We wish we could help even more families," Cohan added.

Donations for the project are being accepted through Saturday, Nov. 17. Turkeys, stuffing, canned fruit and vegetables, cranberry sauce, raw potatoes, and cake mix can be delivered to Temple Beth Am, 4660 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville. Contributions for the project should be made out to "TBA Thanksgiving Project."

Call Rick Ellis at 633-8877.