Turkeys for Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, Samaritan’s Purse had the privilege of hand-delivering Thanksgiving meals to families hurting after Hurricane Helene. Kristy Graham sat down with Bev Kauffeldt to learn more about how this project came to life. In the throes of the response to Hurricane Helene, Samaritan’s Purse was airlifting supplies to cut-off communities. The needs were so great that Samaritan’s Purse was relying not only on our own ministry aircraft, but also the generosity of the Army National Guard, businesses, and private individuals who volunteered to fly supplies into inaccessible communities. Together, this became the largest civilian airlift operation in U.S. history with over 350 air missions.

Bev shares how U.S. Army Gen. Dick Cody was a key part of this mission. He landed in Big Creek, North Carolina, with supplies on more than one occasion. This rural, mountain town touched his heart.

As Thanksgiving drew near, Gen. Cody partnered with Samaritan’s Purse to deliver Thanksgiving meals to these families. He donated turkeys, potatoes, cranberry sauce, pies, and more to make sure their Thanksgiving table was full this year.

“Our volunteers come in and kind of serve our staff that are weary and tired. God can use anyone, but I love the way that his heart was broken for this community.” – Kristy Graham

Kristy helped package these meals for delivery. Then, on the Monday before Thanksgiving, a podcast correspondent joined Bev and her team as they blessed families in Big Creek with Thanksgiving meals.

When Veronica Willis picked up her turkey and side dishes, she shared how Hurricane Helene devasted their community. She was without power for 33 days, and she credits her husband’s life to the generator Samaritan’s Purse provided, which allowed his medical equipment to continue to function.

“I had not even considered right at this point going to buy a turkey. So now we have the turkey ready, we have all the fixings, you know, that's a blessing.” – Veronica Willis

This year, families like Veronica’s are still thankful. Despite having lost so much in the storm, she shared that she is grateful for her family, and she looks forward to gathering around the table together this year.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this season, please pray for the countless families still hurting after Hurricane Helene. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit samaritanspurse.org.