The following is a press release from the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg:
Scott Shepley (left) and other volunteers package meals for delivery and pickup. 
Loading meals for delivery to homes between Westport and Albion. 
Festively adorned bags of meals awaiting pickup.
For the 25th year, the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg will again be serving up Thanksgiving to hundreds of North Coasters, from Westport to Albion, on Thursday, Nov. 25. In light of continuing COVID-19-related safeguards, this year’s no-cost meal will again be a “box lunch,” available for home delivery or curbside pickup at the church (367 S. Sanderson Way).
While continued COVID safeguards prevent us from celebrating Thanksgiving in person, we look forward to breaking bread and giving thanks together in spirit.
To order a free meal:
Reservations are required for all meals—both delivery (beginning at 10:00 a.m.) and pickup (between 12:00 and 3:00 p.m.). Call Eve at 707-478-7212, or order online at www.FortBraggPresbyterian.org/ctd. All reservations must be received by 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 24!
If you know someone, from Westport to Albion, who would like to have a meal delivered but isn’t online, you can print out the “Meal Reservation Form” (linked from the webpage) for them and it can either be mailed to or dropped off at the church (in the mail slot to the left of the front door).
If you have questions about meal delivery, email FortBraggPresbyterian@gmail.com.
To volunteer:
Volunteers are needed for a variety of duties between Monday the 22nd and Thanksgiving afternoon. Visit the Community Thanksgiving Meal webage (http://www.fortbraggpresbyterian.org/ctd/) and scroll down for sign-up instructions and a link to a list of the available shifts and duties. (All volunteers should be prepared to provide proof of vaccination and follow COVID-19 protocols—social distancing, mask-wearing, handwashing, etc.)
To donate:
Pandemic-related safeguards mean that we can’t accept the wonderful homemade pies you’ve donated in past years, but desserts are still very much needed! This year, we again rely on bakers and non-bakers alike to participate in our dessert drive by purchasing a dessert donation at one of these participating businesses: Safeway, Harvest, Mendosa’s and A Sweet Affair Patisserie. Add a dessert donation in any amount during check-out on your next trip to Safeway, Harvest or Mendosa’s, or order through A Sweet Affair’s online store (https://www.asweetaffairpatisserie.com/online-store) by Friday the 19th, and these businesses will prepare the baked goods for our volunteers to pick up during Thanksgiving week.
Monetary donations are, of course, welcome—they help with the various costs of providing hundreds of meals to our community, including the purchase of desserts if necessary. You can mail your donation to the church or drop it in the mail slot to the left of the church front door. Thank you!
