EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- Organizations across our area are making sure everyone has a meal to sit down to as Thanksgiving nears.
At the Salvation Army in East Stroudsburg Thursday morning, families were picking up bags of food with all the fixings for a turkey dinner.
"It just helps me out. it Helps me out with Thanksgiving. I am alone, I'm by myself, it's just me. It helps me out," Wendy Caplette said.
The annual turkey dinner drive helps families throughout Monroe County put a Thanksgiving dinner on the table.
Jazmine Sommerville from Stroudsburg says it's a big help.
"People think that because you get food stamps that, that's enough and you have it, but it runs out when you have a kid in school you have to feed. You have to bring them back and forth to school. It's difficult, it's really difficult," Jazmine Sommerville said.
With more than 500 families to feed and snow on the way, volunteers had to make sure that all of these bags were packed and ready to go.
"When I came in this morning, folks were concerned with the storm coming we wouldn't have enough volunteers, but you can see from the local schools and the university, we have a lot of help back here," said Major Gilbert Parkhurst, East Stroudsburg Salvation Army.
Jerry Lambert is an eighth grade student at J.T. Lambert Intermediate School in East Stroudsburg. His school raised $2,500 for the drive. This was his first time volunteering.
"It's kind of emotional sometimes seeing how many people need help, but it's great that we can come out and do something like this and help them," said Lambert.
Another holiday food drive is scheduled for next month at the Salvation Army in East Stroudsburg.