Jesus House Collecting Donations For Thanksgiving Food Baskets

Feeding the hungry has been a staple of the Jesus House mission for more than 40 years, and the nonprofit is asking for the community’s help to once again assist Oklahomans in need.

With the holiday season just around the corner, Jesus House of Oklahoma City is collecting donations for its annual Thanksgiving food basket distribution campaign.

“Our Thanksgiving food basket outreach is a major event for our organization every year,” said Mike Bateman, Jesus House executive director. “Each food basket typically contains most of what a family needs to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including a turkey or ham.”

Items needed for the food baskets include: frozen turkeys or hams, boxed stuffing mix, chicken broth, turkey or chicken gravy mixes, instant mashed potatoes, canned cranberries or cranberry sauce, canned yams and canned vegetables. Dessert mixes and pie fillings are also appreciated. 

Donations may be dropped off at the Jesus House offices at 1335 West Sheridan in Oklahoma City until 7:00 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 24. Normal receiving hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week. Monetary donations are also accepted. If donating by check please include Thanksgiving food baskets in the memo line.

Bateman said the baskets will be distributed starting at 8 a.m. on the three days before Thanksgiving, Nov. 23-25. Distribution will continue each day until the designated supplies are exhausted.

According to Bateman, more than 1,500 baskets were handed out in 2014.

“With an average of four people per household, that’s more than 6,000 people who received a Thanksgiving meal through this program last year,” Bateman said. “The generosity of our supporters makes this entire project possible. We expect to exceed those numbers this year and we are relying on donations to bring it all together.”

Jesus House is an inner city, non-denominational, Christian outreach providing shelter, food and clothing to the homeless and low-income families of Oklahoma City. The Jesus House’s regular food basket distribution program provides hundreds of food baskets to needy households each week throughout the year. Jesus House works to build ministry relationships with these households through the Jesus House Adopt-A-Block outreach program to the low-income families in the neighborhoods it services.