Prairie Opportunity gives out hundreds of Christmas meals across the Golden Triangle

STARKVILLE, MISS. (WCBI) – Every year, Prairie Opportunity Community Action Agency in Starkville gives out free meals to their clients all across the Golden Triangle during the holiday season.

Prairie Opportunity says their clients have come to rely on those annual meals. 

“There’s probably something in that box that I can’t even buy,” says client and Oktibbeha County resident Anita Jackson. 

While the pandemic has limited how they can help this year, they know their clients need their help now more than ever.

 “We do this at least once a year for our elderly and disabled clients and they expect that,” says case manager supervisor Crystal Aaron. “They look forward to it and it’s just a chance for us to give back and ease the burden during this time of year.” 

That burden has only increased amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Am I going to pay this electric bill or am I going to get groceries for the month? Am I going to pay child care or do I have enough money to pay my gas bill for the month?” Aaron says, listing the difficult decisions members of the community face.    

So the local non-profit set up at various locations across Choctaw, Clay, Leake, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Webster, and Winston Counties Wednesday, December 16th to give out Christmas boxes full of turkey, stuffing, ham and desserts. 

“We actually had to reach out to people,” Aaron says. “We reached out to people so they got a surprise call in other words saying ‘Hey, we’re giving away food and your name is on that list.'”

Only allowed limited face-to-face interaction, Prairie Opportunity contacted their clients who are the most in need. They scheduled times for those clients to come by and have the meals dropped off in the trunks of their cars, allowing just two cars at a time over 30 minute intervals and making sure everyone wore masks. 

“I thank y’all from the bottom of my heart that ya’ll gave us those boxes,” Jackson said. “It could help a long ways.” 

Prairie Opportunity says they gave away all but 10 of the 240 food boxes they prepared for Friday’s event. They said they were overwhelmed by the amount of donations from the community that helped make it all possible. 

“Thank Prairie Opportunity for what they’re doing for the peoples and God bless ’em,” said Starkville resident Jullia Maesmith.