Mission Thanksgiving 2021 a 'fabulous' success, Love and Care's Mark Hewitt says

While it's difficult to directly compare this year's Mission Thanksgiving to the organized in 2020, there's no doubt that the recent version of the popular charity drive to benefit Love & Care Ministries was a success, Mark Hewitt said.

Hewitt is executive director of the Abilene-baed nonprofit.

The two-day event, which collected items such as nonperishable food, soft drinks, bottled water, frozen meats, sleeping bags, blankets, new underwear and socks, coats and personal hygiene items celebrated its 22nd year.

More: Love & Care Ministries kicks off 22nd Mission Thanksgiving Thursday

Quite a haul

Last year, with COVID-19 in full swing, people were home more, and apparently spent a lot of time going through their closets, Hewitt noted.

That means the 2020 giving season was unsurpassed in clothing donations, when donors gave the most clothing of any year, he said.

But that doesn't mean this year's effort wasn't "fabulous" in its own right, he said, even setting some records of its own.

This year's clothing donations were equivalent to those in years before 2020, he said, a haul that still amounts to "a lot."

Food donations, though, set a different pace, givers doubling what has been typically received in previous years.

Before the event, Hewitt said there was a "hard push" for food donations, if possible, and it seems donors listened.

"It would be hard to place a number (on the) pounds of food," he said, but enough supply was collected that it "could last us 5-6 months, possibly."

Blankets, sleeping bags and other miscellaneous items were on pace with previous donation cycles, he said.

Cash donations as of Wednesday hit more than $215,000, though the charity still was counting, Hewitt said.

Strong support

This year's event was split into two locations, the first day at Love & Care's headquarters on Fannin Street, the second a more traditional giving opportunity at longtime partner Arrow Ford on South First Street.

Hewitt said he thought the two-day approach worked well.

"Many folks came out on Thursday and gave an abundance of goods," he said, while Friday is always well-supported.

Volunteer support was also impressive, he said, with "hundreds and hundreds" of volunteers both days.

According to Love & Care's website, Mission Thanksgiving benefits "thousands of homeless and poor throughout our city each year."

The ministry offers a variety of services to those in need, including a food pantry, clothing, a dining room, a worship facility and an ongoing street outreach.

Brian Bethel covers city and county government and general news for the Abilene Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Mission Thanksgiving 2021 a 'fabulous' success, Mark Hewitt says