A volunteer effort that started with two Fort Mill and Tega Cay families is collecting Thanksgiving meal bags for the eighth year, and organizers hope to serve more than the 250 families the program reached across 14 Fort Mill School District schools last year.
Individuals, businesses, churches and community groups can take part in two ways. They can sponsor a bag for $65, or they can shop for the items and assemble a bag themselves. Empty bags will be available for pickup at Tega Graze starting Monday, Nov. 2, and both filled bags and sponsorship payments are due by Monday, Nov. 16.
Every bag goes to a Fort Mill family identified by school counselors, according to a letter organizers sent to community partners this fall. The project works directly with the school district, the letter said, “ensuring support stays right here in our community.”
From 40 Families To More Than 250
The project began eight years ago with a simple goal of helping provide a Thanksgiving meal to local families in need. That first year, it served 40 families at three schools.
Donations from local businesses, churches and residents have expanded the program each year since. Organizers wrote that they expect to serve even more families this year because the need continues to grow.
A group of women has shopped for and assembled the sponsored bags for the past seven years, according to a presentation organizers shared with the letter. Photos from past years show volunteers packing rows of reusable shopping bags with canned vegetables and boxed stuffing inside Tega Graze.
Two Ways To Help
The sponsorship option is aimed at people who want to give but cannot shop. “If the heart is there but the time is not,” the letter said, a $65 contribution covers a complete meal for one family. Sponsors send payment through Venmo to Christy Tolentino(@Christy-Tolentino), and volunteers handle the shopping and packing.
Those who prefer to build a bag can pick up an empty one at Tega Graze with the shopping list attached, fill it and return it to the shop by the Nov. 16 deadline.
What Goes In Each Bag
Each bag holds enough shelf stable ingredients to cook a full Thanksgiving dinner, along with a $40 gift card so the family can buy its own meat. The gift card can be from Walmart or a Visa card.
The list for this year calls for two packets of instant gravy, a box of stuffing, two cans each of cranberry sauce, green beans and corn, a can of yams, a box of instant mashed potatoes, a can of pumpkin pie filling, a shelf stable graham cracker pie crust and a box of iced tea bags. Organizers said donors are welcome to add anything else they would like.
How Bags Reach Families
After filled bags come back to Tega Graze and volunteers finish shopping the sponsored ones, the bags are delivered to Fort Mill School District schools. Families then pick them up at their child’s school ahead of Thanksgiving, which falls on Nov. 26 this year.
Bags can be picked up at Tega Graze beginning Nov. 2. Sponsorships and filled bags must be in by Monday, Nov. 16.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
