After feeding families Thanksgiving meals, the Wright City Community Food Pantry now is focused on its Christmas meal and gift drives.“The Wright City Community Food Pantry is very excited to say that the Thanksgiving portion of our Holiday Food Drive of 2018 has been a great success. We had a goal to provide 40 Thanksgiving food baskets to those specifically of need in the Wright City and 41 were provided for,” said the Rev. Joseph Purl, who helps oversee the Food Pantry and the annual Holiday Food Drives.Purl said the Wright City Food Pantry has always been about neighbors helping neighbors. He referred to a 2009 quote by author Henri Nouwen: “Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another.”“That describes the people of Wright City,” he said.All the contributions benefit families served by the Wright City Community Food Pantry.“The goal for Christmas food baskets is 50 and we are over halfway there,” said Purl. “It is not too late to adopt a family for Christmas as well.”The time for giving is now.The Christmas drive asks the community to help fill Christmas breakfast and Christmas dinner baskets or provide requested gifts through Adopt-A-Family. Businesses, churches, groups and individuals are encouraged to contribute.The Adopt-A-Family program, with help from the community, gives underserved families gifts to open on Christmas. To help make that happen, the Food Pantry and Wright City Parents as Teachers have organized an Adopt-A-Family program for several Wright City families in need.To help, sign up to purchase items from a family’s wish list or provide a financial gift and the organizers will do the shopping.Adopt-A-Family gifts are due by Friday, Dec. 7, and should be delivered to Kamie Williams, Parents as Teachers director, at Wright City Middle School. She can be contacted at 314-496-5525 or kamie.williams@wrightcity.k12.mo.us.Food baskets need to be filled. Each basket feeds a family. The Christmas breakfast basket needs pancake mix, syrup and sausage. The Christmas dinner basket needs ham, potatoes, two cans of corn, two cans of green beans, 12 dinner rolls, canned gravy, canned cranberry sauce, one pound of butter or margarine, a pie; a Christmas stocking for each child stuffed with a packet of hot cocoa, a candy cane; your choice of gloves, socks or hat and a small toy such as cards, Play-Doh, car, etc.Donors may provide all of the food items for one basket or any one item to add to a basket.Donations for Christmas meals are due by Dec. 9 and can be dropped off at Legacy Drugstore or the Church of the Nazarene, both in Wright City. The Wright City Food Pantry will get them to the appropriate families.The food pantry will do the shopping with monetary contributions. The cost is about $50 per basket. Checks should be made out to Wright City Community Food Pantry and include a holiday food drive memo. They should be mailed to: Wright City Community Food Pantry; 521 W. Service Road N.; Wright City, MO 63390.The Wright City Chamber of Commerce, Wright City East Elementary School, Liberty Christian School, Boy Scouts of Wright City, Legacy Drugstore, and U Bought It Auctions along with many churches, groups and individuals have all donated this season, Purl said.

Volunteers with Wright City Food Pantry are collecting food baskets and Adopt-A-Family gifts for the Christmas season.

Submitted photo

Legacy Drugstore donated $1,000 to Wright City Community Food Pantry to sponsor 20 families for the 2018 Holiday Food Drive. Each $50 contribution will provide a family with a Christmas meal. Additional community donations can be dropped off at Wright City Church of the Nazarene or Legacy Drugstore in Wright City. Pictured are Rev. Joseph Purl, left, with Legacy Drugstore pharmacist Mitch Graumenz.

Submitted photo