Winston-Salem church hosts community meal on Thanksgiving Day

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Jasmine Crawford is among the 50 volunteers that helped make hundreds of meals for the community at Piney Grove Baptist Church in Winston-Salem Thursday.

“It’s always a blessing to be a blessing,” said Crawford, owner of Jasmine’s Kitchen and Catering.

The spread included a variety of food, including chicken, green beans, mac and cheese and dessert.

“We have some apple pie,” Crawford said. “Cinnamon apple pie. We have some sweet potato pie. Also, very delicious.”

Church members were inspired to create this meal giveaway following the recent government shutdown, where millions of Americans faced food insecurities due to a lack of funding for SNAP benefits.

“We wanted to be a blessing to any and all within our community, and so this was our way of doing just that,” said Pastor Brandon Helton of Piney Grove Baptist Church.

Crawford has run her own catering company for seven years. She felt a calling to help her church feed those in need this Thanksgiving. 

“Nobody wants to sit around a table and think that somebody is not eating today,” Crawford said. “This is something that has been placed on my heart to do. I love cooking, so when I can cook for other people, that’s even better.”

Any leftovers from the lunch are donated to nearby food shelters. Organizers are hoping to make this an annual event.