Mitchell Food Pantry reports 261 Thanksgiving giveaways; Area Community Theater outlines holiday season

At the meeting’s public comment period, Karen Cooley of the Mitchell Food Pantry described a Thanksgiving distribution held Nov. 22 that served 261 households and 837 people: she reported 309 children, 384 adults and 146 seniors received food boxes and a turkey. Cooley detailed the box contents, estimated the value at about $67.38 per box (up from $53.63 last year), and thanked roughly 27 volunteers who put in about 90 man‑hours to complete the distribution.

Jesse Stroud of the Area Community Theater gave a three‑minute presentation about upcoming performances and community outreach. Stroud said the theater’s production of Laura Ingalls Wilder will run multiple nights with one matinee sold out and another more than 75% sold. He said Ace Productions (New York) will shoot B‑roll for an upcoming Laura Ingalls Wilder documentary and the theater will host a free student matinee for more than 280 local students supported by a $7,000 donation and donated bus transport. Stroud also described auditions for a spring production, a December benefit concert and efforts to raise funds for ADA improvements.

Councilmembers and attendees thanked the volunteers and organizations involved. A council member noted an estimated $17,000 value of donated food that day and others complimented the partnership between local churches and the pantry.