Thanksforgiving Turkey Dinner brings in $14,500 for Bellevue pantry

There is much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving in Bellevue. Community members, volunteers and Good Samaritans helped raise $14,500 for the Good Samaritan Food Pantry in Bellevue by participating in the annual Thanksforgiving Turkey Dinner on Monday, Nov. 4.

One hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards helping local families make it through some rough economic times.

“It’s beautiful,” said Good Samaritan director, Max Troutner. “For years the community and local organizations have backed us so well. Not that we don’t have to watch pennies, but their support makes our jobs a little easier.”

Troutner said nearly 100 volunteers helped serve close to 1,200 people at this year’s event. He said the end result was a pleasant surprise for the pantry, which feeds 85 to 100 families living within the Bellevue School District a month.

The Good Samaritan is a non-denominational food pantry located with the Methodist Church in Bellevue. It is open year ‘round and tries to provide each family with two weeks worth of food, once a month. The only eligibility requirement is that families must live within the Bellevue School District.

Troutner said the annual Thanksforgiving event is a great fundraiser for the pantry, which relies heavily on the generosity of the local community and organizations. The pantry receives a grant from Red Cross and one grant from a private organization. The rest of the budget comes strictly from donations. Good Samaritan accepts both food and monetary donations.

“We have a can drive going on at the schools right now,” Troutner said. “That typically brings in a couple thousand items. Other than that, we buy from the Greater Lansing Food Bank and buy a lot of food locally when there is availability and we find the right price.”

The Good Samaritan also organizes the annual Wish Star Tree, which is up in three location in Bellevue — Hastings City Bank, Independent Bank and Bellevue Hardware. The Wish Star Tree allows families to fill out an application for gifts for their children (18 and under). Children can request any gift $20 or less and place their wish in the tree. Community members can then take those requests and help fulfill those wishes. Gifts are handed out with the annual Holiday Food Baskets at Christmas.

“We can’t say thank you enough to the community for their support,” Troutner said.