400 families served during Fayette County Thanksgiving food distribution event

SOUTH UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Around 400 families in Fayette County now have the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, thanks to a distribution event held by the Roman Catholic Churches of Southern Fayette County.

It’s the fifth year the churches are partnering with Fayette County Community Action, Mike Kelly Toyota and St. Vincent de Paul to hold the food distribution event.

“We know that people’s economic situations change very quickly, and we never ask what people’s circumstances are,” said Dave Rider, representative of the Roman Catholic Churches of Southern Fayette County. “They know their circumstance; we’re just distributing food. This is God’s work. Feeding the sheep is part of our gospel mandate.

Distribution began at the Uniontown Mall at 10 a.m., but the lines started hours before that.

“At about 6:30 this morning, we had our first volunteers and workers show up, and there were already five lines of folks,” Rider said.

Rider said this food drive is making a difference for 1,500-1,600 people — creating an emotional experience for both the recipients of the food and the volunteers who helped pass it out.

“Thanksgiving day will be an emotional part for the people who are the recipients, that they’ll have an opportunity to celebrate in a traditional way. But right now, for 40 volunteers, this is an emotional day because it’s an opportunity to share our blessings and be thankful for all that we have and recognize we have a responsibility to share,” Rider said.

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