A Tupelo-based church feeds inmates and jail staff for Thanksgiving

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)- Inmates in area jails, along with jail staff enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal, thanks to a Tupelo-based ministry.

Nine-year-old Will Bryant spent part of his Thanksgiving morning in the kitchen at Harrisburg Baptist Church, “working very hard opening cans using a big can opener.”

“Was it hard work?” asked Allie Martin.

“Not that hard, I went to Boy Scouts.”

Bryant was one of the hundreds of volunteers at the outreach, organized by Christians on the Move to Evangelize.

Some volunteers were working in the kitchen, cooking vegetables for tables whereas other volunteers worked in an assembly line fashion, putting it all in individual to-go plates.

Bishop Willie Wilson has been part of the ministry since Bishop Clarence Parks started it 35 years ago, “It’s important to us to know that other people are getting meals, hot, getting the traditional meal. If you are incarcerated you get what they give you, and if you are a senior citizen, you may not even get that, then we have people walking the streets.”

Volunteers also delivered the meals to jails and shut-ins around the area. It takes a lot of work from members of a diverse group of churches.

At 5 years old, Carter Friend was the youngest volunteer, and he took a quick break from helping, to send a message to everyone, “Happy Thanksgiving”