One hundred percent of Westside children survive on under $13,000 a year, and 45 percent of East Chattanooga adults are out of work, according to the citywide Comprehensive Gang Assessment by the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies.
Hope for the Inner City plans to furnish frozen turkeys, fixings and groceries to as many as 700 Chattanoogans struggling to feed their families, at its 26th Annual “Turkey for Two” outreach and fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 17.
There are two ways for the public to help:
Buy a turkey and feed a low-income family with every $60 donation. Give online by credit card at Hope4theInnercity.org/turkey or by mail at P.O. Box 11584, Chattanooga, TN 37401. Turkeys are available for pickup on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at 1800 Roanoke Ave. (Many opt to leave their turkeys to help an additional family.) All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Proceeds will support year-round programs that help the urban poor to become self-sufficient.
Volunteer to distribute food and pray with elderly nursing home residents. Volunteer teams will meet on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Hope for the Inner City, 1800 Roanoke Ave., to stuff food bags and fan out across the inner city in teams for delivery.
“Turkey for Two is a unique opportunity for the whole family to volunteer together in the name of Jesus Christ,” said Paul A. Green, Hope for the Inner City’s executive director. “We are asking church groups, office groups and small groups to join us to show love Chattanooga families in crisis this Thanksgiving."
For more information, call 698-3178 or visit Hope4theInnercity.org/turkey.
Since 1987, Turkey for Two has fed thousands of low-income families during the holidays and raised money for year-round programs that help poor people in perpetual crisis become self-sufficient. Last year, 400 families were fed. Turkey for Two specifically aims to serve widows, the elderly and single-parent families.