<div>Staff WriterFor families who are struggling financially in Franklin County, there will be plenty of opportunities this year to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal at no cost to them.And for people who would be alone on the holiday, there are places that will provide fellowship along with the meal.The Lavonia Food Pantry (also known as River of Life Restoration Ministries) and Bebop’s Bakery and Bistro in Royston will be two of the largest Thanksgiving meal providers on the actual holiday.Between them, they plan to feed almost 1,500 people on Thanksgiving Day.Several other churches and organizations will be providing either cooked Thanksgiving meal plate to pick up or giving away food boxes with all the ingredients for the traditional meal.Lavonia Food Pantry co-founder and director Mitch Murphy said the pantry is planning to provide about 900 hot meals this year.The meals will be prepared in the kitchen of Lavonia First Baptist (The Journey) Church.It will be the 501(c)(3) organization’s 26th year in a row, providing home-delivered meals.“We will also deliver 200-300 food boxes with the turkey and all the fixings the week before Thanksgiving,” Murphy said. “The food in those boxes will be enough to provide meals for about another 600 people. It allows them to fix the meal whenever they need to.”Murphy said they still need donations to help fund the meal.Donations can be sent by Venmo (@lavoniafoodpantry), deposited at First Citizens Bank in Lavonia or Carnesville or mailed to 90 Victoria Lane, Lavonia, GA 30553. All checks and deposits should be made out to Lavonia Food Pantry.Murphy said they usually have about 50 volunteers show up Thanksgiving morning to start heating up the food and loading the clamshell plates and placing them in boxes.Then they have about 25 drivers that come by and pick up the boxed plates with route sheets, listing the addresses to be delivered to.Anyone needing the Thanksgiving meal or wanting to volunteer to help may call 706-599-4024 and leave a message.The Facebook page, “MitchLori Murphy” can also be used to send a message. He said that if anyone knows someone or a family that could benefit from either the food box ahead of time or the hot meals on Thanksgiving Day should get in touch with the ministry to get their names and addresses on the list for delivery.“You can come out and help us prepare the meals or help deliver them and still be home in time to enjoy your own Thanksgiving dinner by about 2 p.m.,” Murphy said. “Many of our volunteers have been coming year after year and say the time of fellowship and service is the highlight of their Thanksgiving holiday.”Murphy thanked Chick-fil-A of Lavonia for supplying the macaroni and cheese and the desserts. He also said Murdock’s Superstore is selling tickets for people to sponsor food boxes for families in need.The Lavonia Food Pantry will handle delivering those boxes, as well.This will be the seventh year for Bebop’s Bakery and Bistro to provide a community-wide meal on Thanksgiving Day.Co-owner and Culinary Institute-trained chef Tracy McLean said they expect to feed about 550 people this year. “It’s totally free of charge for anyone who needs a place to eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal,” she said. “They can come sit down in the restaurant and enjoy the fellowship or they can get plates to go.”McLean said they will also provide meals for the public servants that have to work on the holiday, including the Royston Police Department, EMS and the employees at Brown Health and Rehabilitation and the Gables.“We also invite the international students at Emmanuel University because they can’t go home for the holiday and the cafeteria is closed,” she said. “It’s a special treat for them because they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Some of them come and volunteer to prepare the food and some come just to eat.”Tracy and her husband John, opened the restaurant just five days before Thanksgiving their first year. They had helped with a Thanksgiving meal with another restaurant in Athens.“I said, ‘Hey, we can do this here’; so I went out and bought 10 turkeys,” Tracy said. “We fed 125 people that year, with no advertising, just word of mouth.”Also, McLean said she is still in need of sponsors and donations to help fund the meal. In order to donate or sign up to volunteer for one of the four food prep and serving shifts, go to bebopsbakery.com.Churches and organizations will also offer food or meals before Thanksgiving.Most require advance registration with information provided on their Facebook pages.A few of the advance providers include:• The Boyd Outz Learning Center will hold its Thanksgiving meal tonight from 6-7:30 p.m. for children attending the learning center and their parents.• Truth of the Word Church will have a free fellowship meal Nov. 14 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Spring Street Gym at 103 Spring St. in Lavonia.• Providence at Shoal Creek will serve a prepared sit-down meal Nov. 18 at noon at 2395 Providence Church Road in Lavonia. The meal is free, but donations are accepted.• Flat Shoals Baptist Church will provide drive-through pick up of prepared meal plates Nov. 18 from 6-7 p.m. at 2999 Bowersville Highway in Bowersville.• Lift Worship will provide prepared to-go meal plates Nov. 21 starting at 10 a.m. at 117 Church St. in Carnesville. The church will also go door-to-door giving away frozen turkeys Nov. 24.• Liberty Baptist Church will provide food boxes to be picked up Nov. 22 from 3-5 p.m. at 6077 Highway 145 in Carnesville.• Word of Life Christian Center will provide food boxes to serve 10 people Nov. 23 from 3-5 p.m. at 132 Ayers St. in Carnesville. To sign up, call Tracy Eavenson at 706-491-6312 by Nov. 20.• Jeremiah 2911: The Hope and Healing Collective will provide a sit-down prepared “Friendsgiving” meal Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Joe A. Adams Building at 461 Cook St. in Royston.If all the numbers hold true, there may be enough complimentary meals provided to feed almost 20 percent of Franklin County’s population.As Murphy said, “We’ve got some of the best people in the world right here, and it’s Franklin County feeding Franklin County.”</div>

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For families who are struggling financially in Franklin County, there will be plenty of opportunities this year to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal at no cost to them. And for people who would be alone on the holiday, there are places that will provide fellowship along with the meal. The Lavonia...

Local groups prepare to feed those in need this Thanksgiving

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For families who are struggling financially in Franklin County, there will be plenty of opportunities this year to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal at no cost to 

Local groups prepare to feed those in need this Thanksgiving

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