Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, West Green Church of God, located at 7950 George Deen Road, West Green, GA., sponsored its first ‘Thanks Giving-Back’ project. Hugh Anderson, lead servant, his wife Bethany Anderson and their 60 church members were able to feed over 500 people this holiday season.
The Thanks Giving-Back project was organized to give back and show love towards the people of the community. The Anderson’s wanted to make an impact and express their love through the act of giving. Living in such a small community they agreed that they wanted this event to be big. “Our motto for our church is that we’re a small church with a big heart,” said Bethany.
Their game plan was to challenge their congregation to bring one food item once a week over a 10 week period. Over this 10 week grace period, one church member would be able to provide a fully loaded box for a family in need. Bethany revealed to DouglasNow that their vision for the project was not only to feed familes but to also deliver the boxes to these families.
Instead of their traditional Sunday service, members gathered at 9:30 a.m. to provide and deliver a full meal for 100 families. Bethany mentioned that their first stop was at West Green Elementary when they first started this project. They partnered with Mr. Chancey, assistant principal, and Ms. James, school counselor, and were able to obtain several names of students and families who had a need.
The project received a large amount of feedback which led people to travel from Fitzgerald, Ocilla, Willacoochee, Pearson, Alma and Waycross to pick up a box of food. “It turned into a bigger project than what we anticipated,” said Bethany. “The need is just there. It’s just about people being available to meet that need.”
The box consisted of either a turkey or ham, two cans of green beans, two cans of corn, two boxes of cornbread, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes and marshmallows, stuffing and cranberry sauce, chicken broth, sugar and tea and a box of brownies.
West Green Church of God has also partnered with Second Harvest and is one of the only other churches in Douglas who is ServSafe certified. “Now that we’re apart of Feeding America and Second Harvest this is going to enable us to feed more and do more for our community,” said Bethany. This certification allows for their church to serve as a location to feed and provide assistance in the face of emergencies.
Hugh Anderson, lead servant, and wife Bethany Anderson
