Good News: A Jamestown, New York, Church and Its Partners Will Hand Out 1,800 Thanksgiving Dinners, No Questions Asked

Conduit Ministries and five partner churches are preparing full turkey dinners for families across Chautauqua and Warren counties, 100 more than last year.

In Jamestown, New York, a church is getting ready to feed a lot of neighbors.

Conduit Ministries, a non-denominational Christian church in Jamestown, and its partner churches plan to give away 1,800 prepared Thanksgiving dinners on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m., the Post-Journal reported on Nov. 7. That is 100 more meals than last year.

Each take-home dinner, packed in foil pans, includes turkey, potatoes, stuffing, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls and pie. The meals will be handed out at 13 sites, 12 in Chautauqua County and one in Warren, divided according to need. Most sites will also serve chili and hot cocoa.

Partner churches include Bemus Point Methodist Church, Trinity Church in Frewsburg, Panama Methodist Church, Warren First Church of the Nazarene and Living Faith Bible Church at its new Mayville location. Other pickup sites include local parks and schools in Jamestown, Falconer, Ellery, Celoron and Frewsburg.

"Anybody who has a need can participate," Jessica McKeever, Conduit's director of operations, told the Post-Journal. "It's for anybody, no questions asked."

The ministry says it costs about $40 to feed one family, and it is inviting people to sponsor a meal or volunteer. "With lots of people committing to feed one family, we can really make a big difference," said Senior Pastor Cameron Lienhart. "Conduit continues to be a place that believes in the future of Jamestown."

Conduit, which describes itself on its website as "a Non-Denominational Christian church in Jamestown, NY," has run community food outreach in the city for several years, according to earlier Post-Journal coverage.

Why it matters

In a week dominated by election results, here is a reminder of where much of the church's real work is done: in kitchens, parish halls and school parking lots, one family at a time. Long before there were government programs, Christians fed the hungry because Jesus told them to. Churches in Chautauqua County are still doing it, and they are doing it together. If your church is planning something similar this Thanksgiving, we would love to hear about it.

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