AUSTIN, Texas — It's the giving season and two nonprofits based in Williamson County are working to make sure everyone who needs a hot meal this Thanksgiving, receives one.
The Round Rock Area Serving Center and Helping Hands of Georgetown have put in a lot of work this week to keep residents fed. The Round Rock Area Serving Center says they've seen an increase in overall requests this year in comparison to last year. They received 500 turkeys from the Central Texas Food Bank to distribute prior to Thanksgiving and received an additional 100 turkeys in donations from the community.
Sasha Christensen, Executive Director at Helpings Hands of Georgetown says their primary focus is food security and they have the only mobile pantry in the Georgetown area.
"We serve approximately 700 brown bag lunches a week and approximately 150 meals, pantry meals to our families that have a home where they can prepare those meals. A lot of our population is transient, very low income and homeless. The most unique thing, I think, and what sets us apart from maybe other pantries here in the Georgetown area and kind of surrounding areas is that we don't limit the number of lunches and pantry bags that they can get per day or per week," said Christensen.
In partnership with Head Start Round Rock, Helping Hands of Georgetown provided 30 complete meals and had gift cards for people to buy turkeys.
"We travel to low income apartment complexes and housing neighborhoods here in the Georgetown area. A lot of those individuals are disabled and do not have transportation, modes of transportation. so we go to them. That's kind of primarily who we assisted with turkeys this year," said Christensen.
Later today, volunteers with Helpings Hands will head out to the Quail Valley Apartments in Georgetown with their mobile food pantry. Both the Round Rock Area Serving Center and Helping Hands of Georgetown will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. However, Helping Hands mobile pantry will be open from 3 to 4 pm Wednesday.
The Sunrise Community Church and Mount Olive Baptist Church will be hosting a Thanksgiving fest on Thursday.