UVA police helping Charlottesville church get Thanksgiving meals to families in need

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Ebenezer Baptist Church in Charlottesville is getting some help from friends and organizations this holiday season.

The UVA Police Department is one of dozens of sponsors helping the church put together its tenth Thanksgiving Food Drive for families in need.

“When we can all come together and collaborate, you know, towards a common goal you know great things happen,” Pastor Lehman Bates said Thursday, November 16.

Bates says they’re following a system called the Collaborative Ownership Model: “We actually ask nonprofits, churches, retailers to come and join us and to take ownership of the event with us,” the pastor said.

“This is one way in which we can give back,” UVA Deputy Chief of Police Bryant Hall said.

Pastor Bates says this collaboration is helping them feed up to 150 families in need.

“What they’re going to be provided with is turkeys, you know, a full and complete bag of meals and accessories. We’re also doing prepared meals for some of our elderly and shut-ins in the community, as well,” he said.

“Being able to put that food on the table, and a family doesn’t have to worry about that. They can just be together and be joyful. That’s the greatest thing for us,” Dani Lawson with the UVA Police Department said.

Ebenezer Baptist Church will be giving away the food from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, November 19.

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.

Copyright 2023 WVIR. All rights reserved.