On Saturday, November 23rd, Center of Life and the Keystone Church provided Hazelwood families with a Thanksgiving meal at their annual Turkey Giveaway. Started at the Keystone church, this has been a tradition since 1999 and is always a fun day for everyone. Hazelwood residents look forward to this drive each year. 

The morning of the giveaway, the atmosphere in the room was exhilarating. Sign-ups had been open since November 1st. The weeks spent in preparation (and watching the COL kitchen slowly fill up with turkeys) were about to materialize into one chaotic but exciting event. Anticipating how they would spend the holiday with their family, people were waiting at Keystone Church even before the giveaway started at 10:00am.

Like any other festival, there are many ways to celebrate Thanksgiving. But this one, more than any other, is centered around the table. It is a time for the family to get together around a meal and appreciate life and its blessings. The traditional meal of turkey with all its fixings is crucial to the ritual of this celebration and represents the warmth, fulfillment, gratitude, and togetherness that this day is all about.

At Center of Life, we are grateful for this opportunity to be able to serve the Hazelwood community of Pittsburgh. We gave away about 130 bags on Saturday and purchased around 11 more for families on the waitlist. In addition to a turkey, each bag included mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, two veggies, cornbread, gravy, and stuffing. Some included mac and cheese instead of mashed potatoes. This nonprofit endeavor was made possible through generous donations from Franco and Dok Harris, Duquesne University Office of Multicultural Affairs, Trader Joe’s and the Iota chapter of Omega Phi Psi.

-Arista Engineer