Giving back during the holidays

Thanksgiving should be a time of fun, food and fellowship, a time for friends and loved ones to come together and express their shared gratitude for the blessings they enjoy.

But that is not the case for the hungry, the needy and the homeless, for whom the holidays can be a sad, lonely time.

That’s why so many donors and volunteers step up to donate food or other needed items or to help serve or distribute holiday meals.

“It's incredibly rewarding to know that you have made a difference in someone else's life,” said Eric Mancil, the rector at St. Catherine's Episcopal Church, which is very active in feeding the hungry.

The following is a guide to some of the opportunities for donors and volunteers along the 280 Corridor who would like to help others during the Thanksgiving season.

Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church, 5080 Cahaba Valley Trace.  Donors and volunteers can help support OMPC in its efforts to help feel the hungry at Thanksgiving. OMPC will assist two other churches – Urban Hope Community Church in Fairfield and South Park Baptist Church in West End – in providing the needy with boxes containing Thanksgiving meals. The boxes, which contain either a ham or a turkey and assorted vegetables, can feed up to 10 people.

People can donate $25 to pay for one box, and they can also volunteer to take part in assembling the boxes. The assembly will take place on on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 8 a.m.-noon, at two locations – South Park Baptist Church and Fairfield High School – according to Mark Long, OMPC’s youth pastor.

Donations can be made at ompc.org. For more information, call 995-9265 or email mlong@ompc.org.

The Church at Brook Hills, 3145 Brook Highland Parkway. Brook Hills will provide 50 Thanksgiving meals to families living in the Marks Village housing project on Georgia Road near Woodlawn. Their first priority is seniors, then others in greatest need. Those who wish to make a donation can do so at brookhills.org/localmissions, according to Keith Stanley, the church’s local missions pastor. 313-7777. brookhills.org

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 4887 Valleydale Road. SOTH will host a good drive benefiting Oak Mountain Missions on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 9 a.m.-noon. People can drive through the church parking lot to drop off their donations, according to Pastor Carolyn Hayford. Items needed include canned and other non-perishable food. For a complete list, go to oakmtnmissions.com. 995-9673. sothl.org

St. Catherine's Episcopal Church, 4163 County Road 39, Chelsea. St. Catherine's hosts the Beans and Rice Pantry every third Saturday from 9-11 a.m. The next date is Nov. 18. Established in 2010, the pantry provides non-perishable food items, as well as some bread and baked goods and personal hygiene products.

“Anyone is welcome to come and volunteer their time,” said Rector Eric Mancil, who also said that donations to the pantry are welcome. People are welcome to drop off their donations during church hours, but they should first call or email to make sure that someone is at the church, Mancil said.

For more information, call 618-8367 or go to stcatherinesal.com.

Heavenly Smile, 1800 County Road 39, Chelsea. This faith-based non-profit, which assists and takes referrals from local churches, maintains a community food pantry that is open by appointment on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.  For information on how to help, call 678-6603 or

669-7858 or go to Facebook @heavenlysmileinc.

North Shelby Baptist, 4100 Belcher Drive. In honor of the annual Alabama-Auburn Iron Bowl football game, The Iron Bowl, North Shelby hosts their annual Tin Can Bowl to attract donations of canned and packaged food items. “We challenge Auburn and Alabama fans to bring in canned or packaged food items, and we donate them to the Shelby Baptist Association,” said Pastor Allan Murphy, who said they receive about 1,500 items annually. He said people can drop off their donations – and declare their college football loyalties – during regular office hours on on Sunday.

Asbury United Methodist Church, 6690 Cahaba Valley Road. Asbury UMC maintains a food pantry that is open on Wednesdays from 2-3:30 p.m., according to the church web site. During the holidays, the pantry also provides each family with a Thanksgiving and Christmas meal.

Many donations and volunteers are needed to maintain the food pantry, according to the site. Those who wish to help should contact Cindi Weeks at 995-8925 or Irene O’Neill at 981-1169.

Asbury is also involved in a cost-based food distribution ministry called Asbury Angels Food Ministry that is open to the public, according to Rev. Greg Foust, the church’s minister of discipleship. Anyone can purchase boxes at wholesale prices from kingfoods.org and pick them up one Saturday a month at Asbury, according to Foust. The church also accepts donations so it can buy food boxes for a different ministry each month.  Some of the ministries that Asbury helps are The Foundry, Manna Ministries and Urban Ministry.

For more information about the church’s programs, call 995-1700 or go to asburyonline.org.

Shelby Baptist Association, 205 Walton St., Columbiana. The association, though based in Columbiana, works regularly with Baptist congregations throughout Shelby County, including the 280 Living coverage area, to help the needy. The organization has several ministries that need donors and volunteers. For information, call 669-7858 or go to http://shelbybaptist.org