By Agape Hammond – Parker, Colorado … Through a collaborative partnership, Parker Adventist Hospital and Newday Adventist church provided Thanksgiving meal boxes to 120 families in need in the Parker, Colorado community.

Newday Adventist Church has lots to be thankful for this season. On Saturday, November 20, Newday held their first-ever ThankFULL Free Farmer’s Market, a partnership between Parker Adventist Hospital and Newday.

The ThankFULL Free Farmer’s Market began after Lisa Cardinal, executive pastor at Newday, witnessed the need at the summer food giveaways.

“The number of people coming to get the fruits and veggies kept increasing. We knew the holidays would be difficult,” Cardinal said. This need, along with the partnership Newday has with Parker Adventist Hospital, drove the idea forward.

And so, the project grew. From an idea to more than 120 complete meals, including turkey, for families that otherwise might not have had Thanksgiving this year.

The look on people’s faces as they picked up their boxes of stuffing, canned yams, cranberry sauce, and of course, the big turkey, was evidence that the project was appreciated and valued by the community. It wasn’t just the people receiving the food who were blessed, but those around them as well. “You are helping so many people here; we are so grateful,” commented one community member.

Remarking on the event, Katrina White, a volunteer at Newday, said, “Our mission is to impact the community in such a positive way that if we [Newday] were no longer here, people would notice our absence.”

Milvia Lee, Newday church attendee who helped coordinate the event, loved that the whole church participated, “Everyone used their gifts in different ways. I like being able to contribute to my church.”

There is a real sense of community when Newday Adventist Church and Parker Adventist Hospital get together to help. It was a group effort with eight small groups contributing food and packing 40 of the boxes, Parker Adventist Hospital packing 90 boxes, and many others in the church loading and handing out the boxes.

–Agape Hammond is director of social media and communications at Newday Adventist Church; photos supplied