ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is 22 days away and falls on Thursday, November 28th. The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is working diligently to make sure everyone in need of a meal has one on the table for the holidays, like Thanksgiving.
"It is the giving season and people want to help," says Amanda Palme, community impact manager for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. "So ask for help. There's no shame in it. Food is everybody's fundamental right and we have partners that are ready to do this, to step up. They want to see the smiling faces, they want to ease people's concerns."
While many gather with family around a big meal, millions of Americans don't know where their next meal will come from; let alone if they can afford a Thanksgiving Dinner.
Feeding America and local partners like the Food Bank of the Southern Tier are stepping up to make sure families are supported more than ever during this time of the year.
Volunteers came together in Elmira on Wednesday afternoon to help make this mission possible. They're doing small but mighty tasks like repacking rolls to be redistributed.
One volunteer comes with her family including her 10-year-old son to help her community and inspire her son to do good for others.
"It's one of those things where you know that everyone has not the same opportunities that you have and being able to help somebody who is less fortunate or doesn't have the same opportunities or resources that you have really kind of puts perspective on a lot of things in life, especially around the holidays. And just being able to help a little bit kind of makes you feel like you're giving something. You know it might not seem like a lot, but doing what we do here at the food bank by just repacking things is helping someone else have that opportunity that they don't normally have.
While Thanksgiving centers on gratitude, it's also an opportunity to bring awareness to food insecurity and consider how many communities can support each other year-round.
"I know that it's going to help the community out a lot and I just like being here because we're helping out people in need and just doing really good things.," says Zayne, a 10-year-old volunteer.
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier shared that Tioga Downs Casino and Resort will match all donations that are coming in. The casino and resort will triple that donation on Triple Turkey Thursday on November 21st.
Anyone in need of support can because of issues like financial struggles, can always reach out to your SNAP outreach coordinator in your county. They should be able to help the client determine whether or not they're eligible for some resources to help get them through the holidays with funding.