Staff Reports

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — After a month of food drives and generous giving across DeKalb County, Marked For Life Ministries is preparing to serve more than 1,500 individuals through its annual Baskets of Blessings outreach — but there’s still work to do.

Throughout October, local churches, schools, and businesses joined together to collect nonperishable food, turkeys, and financial contributions to support the Thanksgiving effort. Hundreds of volunteers have helped gather items that will fill baskets and hot meals for families, individuals experiencing homelessness, and homebound seniors.

Even with those strong early donations, the ministry is still in need of turkeys, canned vegetables, boxed sides, and financial sponsors to help meet this year’s growing demand.

“Every item given in October gets us one step closer to meeting the need,” said Logan LeGrande, Executive Director of Marked For Life Ministries. “But we know there are still gaps to fill. The need in our community has grown, and we want to make sure every neighbor who needs a Thanksgiving meal has one.”

The outreach will take place on Saturday, November 22, beginning at 8:00 AM with a drive-thru basket giveaway at the VFW Fairgrounds in Fort Payne. Later that day, hot meals will be cooked and delivered to those facing homelessness and to homebound seniors throughout the county.

“Our community always comes through,” said Kelli Tumlin, Director of Programs. “We’re so thankful for what’s already been collected, but we still need more hands and more hearts involved to finish strong this month.”

Event Details:

●Drive-Thru Giveaway: Saturday, November 22 | 8:00 AM | VFW Fairgrounds, 151 18th St NE, Fort Payne

●Deliveries to Homebound: Saturday, November 22 | 12:00 PM | Pickup at Fort Payne City Auditorium

Community members who want to help can:

●Donate or sponsor a family: www.mflm.org/thanksgiving

●Drop off nonperishable food at the Hope Center (917 Godfrey Ave SE, Fort Payne)

●Sign up to volunteer before November 15