By: Reagan Hubbard
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – Cross Church in Fayetteville provided more than 2,000 baskets full of food this Thanksgiving. This was called the Blessings Basket Event, and is aimed to provide holiday meals for anyone in the community that might be unable to prepare Thanksgiving dinner this season.
The Blessings Basket Event has taken place every year in Northwest Arkansas since 1992. The baskets this year included Cornish hens (young and immature chicken) because other meat options, such as turkey, has been difficult to find and is more expensive.
Cross Church Pastor Luke Harper, says “We want to be able to serve the less fortunate and those who may not be able to have a thanksgiving meal, and we’re going to provide that to them this weekend”, and they seem to have done exactly that.
This past weekend, anyone who came to pick up a basket received one. Hundreds of other baskets were picked up at the church’s locations in Springdale and Rogers.
More than 400,000 Arkansas residents are estimated to be food insecure. Events like these give some of those people in need the chance to enjoy the national holiday with traditional Thanksgiving dinner options.