Parkland Baptist Church to host Thanksgiving dinner

CLOVIS — For those who might need a helping hand during the holiday season, Parkland Baptist Church has been hard at work on Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings.

Parkland Baptist collects donations every year to provide dinner boxes containing everything one might need to hold a full, traditional Thanksgiving dinner for a full household.

Parkland Baptist was aiming to collect enough donations to accommodate 15 families this season. But Pastor Aaron Boydstun said members have surpassed that already and have boxes planned for 20 families so far.

These boxes often contain a whole turkey, green beans, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, hot cocoa, desserts and more.

“We try to put in exactly what people need to make a hearty, healthy Thanksgiving dinner for whoever is in their house,” Boydstun said.

Ideally, Parkland Baptist hopes to receive the majority of donations by the end of today, but will keep accepting donations until box deliveries begin on Sunday.

Boydstun said the church helps families in many situations and often relies on referrals from community members to help find those in need.

“We often reach out to Lighthouse and they’ve given us names of people they know who might be in need,” Boydstun said. “This year it’s been mostly word of mouth. We’ve got 15 people on the list living in Clovis and five young airmen out on the base with families that might be struggling with structure after coming out here.”

Boydstun said the church is likely close to its limit for this year, but he still encourages those who want to get involved to consider donating or referring families next year.

“The important thing is family. A lot of the time people aren’t just struggling financially, but with family,” Boydstun said. “A lot of the people with help are having a hard time with their family, whether that’s health or being far from their family. What we can do as a community is provide an extended family for them, not just taking them food in a box — but making sure someone here in Clovis cares about them.”

To learn more or donate: call the Parkland Baptist Church office at 575-769-1779.