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Pastor Willie Simmons outlines citywide Thanksgiving meal sites; council pledges coordination
Summary
Pastor Willie Simmons presented a list of churches and organizations offering Thanksgiving meals across Gadsden and neighboring communities, urged coordination to serve 300–500 people at each site, and invited other groups to join. Councilmembers and city staff agreed to use 2-1-1 and existing contact lists to coordinate distribution.
Pastor Willie Simmons addressed the council during the citizen request portion on Nov. 10 to present a coordinated plan for Thanksgiving meal service across Gadsden. Simmons said he helped found the community Thanksgiving program and announced a list of service locations and contact people, including dates and times for events on Nov. 22 and Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving week). He asked each site to be prepared to serve at least 300–500 people and encouraged organizers to communicate with one another so resources can be shared and duplication reduced.
Pastor Simmons provided addresses and phone contacts for multiple sites (Carver Community Center; Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church; Universal Worship Center; New Destiny; Damascus Baptist; Abundant Life; Friendship Baptist; Freedom Center; Salvation Army; Dynamic Outreach Ministry; First Baptist Glencoe) and said the list is growing. He noted the program aims not only to provide meals but also to connect people to longer-term supports such as GED programs and other services.
Councilmembers thanked Simmons and urged use of the 2-1-1 service to capture head counts and reduce waste. City staff (Ruth Moffitt referenced) will keep contact lists updated. Simmons said volunteers will meet weekly leading up to Thanksgiving and invited groups to call his number to be added to the list.
