Mission: Thanksgiving 2007
“Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.”
Psalm 41:1
In 1999 Arrow Dealerships met with Pastor Mark Hewitt of Love and Care Ministries regarding his ministry for the poor and homeless in the Abilene area. Arrow realized that it could easily make an impact as a community leader in educating the public regarding this program and raise public awareness. The location of their main Ford store could be used to increase the volunteer base and donation of clothing, bedding, money and food. There was great potential to hold an event to accomplish their objectives for Love and Care ministries. Year after year, Mission: Thanksgiving is more successful than the last.
Mission: Thanksgiving is a chance for the community of Abilene to band together in hopes of aiding Love & Care Ministries in helping the homeless and poor of Abilene. Each November for the passed eight years, Mission: Thanksgiving has benefited the homeless and poor in tremendous ways. Not only has it provided necessities such as food and clothing, Mission: Thanksgiving has supplied the necessary monetary donations to help open a new Soup Kitchen, in addition to helping fund the development and construction of a new Dental Clinic and a Mobile Medical Unit.
Last year alone, 500 community members volunteered their time at Mission: Thanksgiving to help fill 9.5 to 10 semi-trailers with the donations provided by the 3,900 vehicles that drove through Arrow Ford’s parking lots. 3 of these trailers were filled with food alone, meeting the goal set from last year’s numbers. They were also able to raise $70,000 monetarily to aid this organization in its cause. The homeless and poor were among the volunteers helping support this cause. They are typically the first volunteers to arrive on the morning of Mission: Thanksgiving.
In 2005, Mission: Thanksgiving raised $43,000, and filled an equivalent of 8.5 semi-trailers with clothing and food from the 3,500 vehicles that came through. 2.5 of these semi-trailers were filled with food. All of these items were distributed in just 6 months!
Although there are many agencies in Abilene that work with the disadvantaged, Mission: Thanksgiving’s efforts all go to support Love and Care Ministries. This Non-Profit organization is led by Mark Hewitt, Executive Director and Founder. This organization goes to the streets of Abilene daily, and travels to various areas where homeless people camp to provide food, clothes, and assistance wherever they are needed.
With just 31¢, Love and Care Ministries can create 1 sack lunch. $5 is enough to feed 16 people, and $500 can make 1,600 meals! Even the smallest donations can help make a difference in these people’s lives.
There are an estimated 400+ residential homeless people in Abilene, and about 1,200 more transient homeless travel through Abilene each year. Children make up 15% of these numbers, which do not include the poor who benefit from the food and clothing services. That said, it is obvious just how many people benefit from drives like Mission: Thanksgiving.
