Utah Basket Brigade brings Thanksgiving cheer to families in need

Volunteers gather for a Basket Brigade event at Stephen Wade Auto, St. George, Utah, Nov. 22, 2014 | Photo courtesy of the Basket Brigade, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – The Utah Basket Brigade, an organization that delivers Thanksgiving dinner baskets to families in need in St. George and the surrounding areas, served 150 families through an event held in St. George Saturday.

“Each family that is helped is for a special reason; they may have just lost a family member, a job or even a place to stay,” Basket Brigade Co-chair Andrea Palmer said. “I hope and pray that we can find the means to help the families in our own community have a little cheer this season of thankfulness.”

The event took place at Stephen Wade Toyota in St. George, where volunteers gathered to put the baskets together and deliver them to community members, receiving many thanks from the basket recipients as they did so.

One Basket Brigade recipient expressed thanks on the organization’s Facebook page:

I have to immediately thank you for such a wonderful program. I hope with all my heart that you can express to the family that thought about us how much this has gladden my heart and lightened my load. I Just had my car give out on me last Saturday. I knew that I would have to save my money for repairs. I did not even think of thanksgiving dinner at all. Yesterday I was in such a hurry that I locked my self out of my house.  I had to spend the night at a friends house. I woke up early and tried to unlock the door again, then had a thought to call a brother from my church and he was glad to help me open my door. We went back to my place and found the basket there. I rejoiced thanked God for having a miracle happen.

The Basket Brigade also gave away 60 care bags to homeless community members.

“They have some of the basics of hygiene items and easy, ready food type of items as well as gloves and stuff like that,” Palmer said.

The Brigade finds families in several different ways. Many of the recipients were nominated on the organization’s website. Also, local churches, school counselors and other groups submitted names of people they knew were in need.

The Basket Brigade concept was inspired by a movement spearheaded by the Anthony Robbins Foundation more than 30 years ago as an individual effort to feed families in need. Basket Brigades now feed more than 2 million people annually in countries all over the world.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.

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