The Well delivers Thanksgiving essentials to families in need in Spring Hill, Columbia

Kerri Bartlett, The Daily Herald
·3 min read
Volunteer Mikayla Luebker, 10, loads Thanksgiving goodies into cars at The Well Outreach in Spring Hill as volunteer drivers pick up and deliver food to families in need across Spring Hill and Columbia. The nonprofit provided almost 300 families with all of the makings for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.
Volunteer Mikayla Luebker, 10, loads Thanksgiving goodies into cars at The Well Outreach in Spring Hill as volunteer drivers pick up and deliver food to families in need across Spring Hill and Columbia. The nonprofit provided almost 300 families with all of the makings for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.

Dozens of volunteers gathered last weekend at The Well Outreach nonprofit food pantry to distribute Thanksgiving goods to almost 300 families in need across Spring Hill and Columbia.

Mikayla Luebker, 10, loaded bags filled with food into cars for delivery at the distribution event on the rainy Sunday in partnership with Thompson's Station Church.

"I am glad to help people, who might not otherwise have food for Thanksgiving dinner," Luebker said.

According to recent statistics, one in six children in Tennessee face hunger this holiday. The Well is striving to combat hunger this holiday through its Thanksgiving giveaway, The Well executive director Shelly Sassen said.

"The Well wanted to do our Thanksgiving giveaway differently this year and decided what better way to honor and serve those in need than to personally deliver the Thanksgiving meals to our guests home," she said.

In an assembly line fashion, volunteers loaded Thanksgiving essentials into the cars of volunteers, including a 15-pound turkey for each family with sides for the meal such as potatoes, cornbread stuffing, dinner rolls and other canned goods.

Shelly Sassen, executive director of The Well Outreach, greets volunteers during a Thanksgiving distribution drive-through on Sunday. Volunteer drivers delivered Thanksgiving essentials to almost 300 families across Spring Hill and Columbia.
Shelly Sassen, executive director of The Well Outreach, greets volunteers during a Thanksgiving distribution drive-through on Sunday. Volunteer drivers delivered Thanksgiving essentials to almost 300 families across Spring Hill and Columbia.

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Once the cars were loaded, volunteers traveled across Spring Hill and Columbia making deliveries.

Sassen said she is thankful for all of the volunteers and donations that allowed hundreds of families to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

"It was a huge success and a really rewarding experience for all involved," she said.

The Well volunteer Bob Heibrich sorts donated turkeys at The Well Outreach in Spring Hill during a Thanksgiving basket distribution on Sunday.
The Well volunteer Bob Heibrich sorts donated turkeys at The Well Outreach in Spring Hill during a Thanksgiving basket distribution on Sunday.

A retired nurse Annette Ellerby, who was in charge of distributing cooking pans for the meal, said she has been volunteering at The Well for two years.

"I love it. I recently retired, and it lets me know I am helping people," she said.

According to Sassen, food distribution services administered by The Well overall have increased by 500% over the past two years.

The Well recently expanded its reach to Columbia because of the need.

The Well volunteers Judy Lindner and Annette Ellerby helped to distribute bags of Thanksgiving goodies to over 300 families on Sunday.
The Well volunteers Judy Lindner and Annette Ellerby helped to distribute bags of Thanksgiving goodies to over 300 families on Sunday.

"We discovered that a large percentage of guests who visit our food pantry are from Columbia. We want to make sure that our resources are available to them," Sassen said.

The Well provides pantry services at its physical location, 5306 Main Street in Spring Hill, and through mobile food distributions at various sites throughout the year. The nonprofit also provides a JetPack program for food insecure students across 23 schools in Williamson and Maury counties.

The local food pantry moved from an approximately 1,500-square foot location to a new 7,000-square foot location a couple of years ago, allowing the nonprofit to serve more people, or about 250-350-plus families a month, depending on the season.

Janet Milne grabs two bags of potatoes for the Thanksgiving distribution at The Well in Spring Hill on Sunday.
Janet Milne grabs two bags of potatoes for the Thanksgiving distribution at The Well in Spring Hill on Sunday.

Economic hardships caused by COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 and other hardships such as strikes and layoffs at the GM plant, have contributed to periodic increases in the community's need for services, Sassen said. Also underemployment, a death in the family or divorce are occurrences that might lead to food insecurity. Sassen emphasized that any household across socioeconomic levels can be affected by multiple situations that lead to the need for food assistance.

For more information about food distribution, visit https://springhillwell.org.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Volunteers deliver Thanksgiving essentials to families in need in Spring Hill, Columbia