Wheeler County Teen Feeds 150 Families
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A Wheeler County teenager took it upon himself to make sure that everyone in his community has a happy Thanksgiving, as he collected enough food to feed 150 families a meal.
Fourteen year-old Jack Nelson is very active in the community, playing baseball for Wheeler County High School, competing in shotgun, and participating in the Wheeler County 4-H program. This Fall, Nelson was inspired to do even more in the community, as he launched a food drive with the goal of providing complete, ready-to-cook meals for those in need so that they may be able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving feast.
Nelson said that the idea came from worrying that some of his friends, teammates, or classmates might spend the holiday without a hot meal. He wanted to make sure that they had what they needed, but didn’t want to struggle with some of the issues that normally come with canned food drives, such as individuals needing several additional ingredients to add to the foods to make meals. “I didn’t want to collect a bunch of food that continued from page
couldn’t really be used without other ingredients,” he explained. “I wanted to give a complete meal.”
He began hosting a food drive with the goal of collecting enough food to make 50 “meal in a bag” kits. Soon, donations poured in from throughout the region and beyond, with some goods even coming from out of state. These donations totaled enough for Nelson to prepare 150 full meal bundles – complete with the ingredients for either chickenand- cornbread casserole or chicken-and-dumplings, along with a complete cake kit and juice – as well as give several items to local food pantries.
Nelson delivered 85 of the meal kits to Wheeler County Schools to be shared with students’ families who could use a little extra support during the weeklong break. In total, Nelson donated 85 chicken and cornbread casserole kits (composed of a box of Stove Top dressing, can of chicken, can of cream of chicken, evaporated milk, can of mixed veggies, garlic and onion powder), 5 chicken and dumplins kits (composed of Bisquick biscuit mix, evaporated milk, cream of chicken, can of mixed veggies, can of potatoes, 2 chicken bouillon cubes, and a garlic or onion powder), 90 cake kits (made up of a box of cake, can of soda, and a container of icing), 90 bottles of juice, and 180 pans (2 for each family). He then took the remaining kits to the Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office, so deputies may distribute the food to County residents with the greatest need. These donations included a total of 50 chicken and dumplins kits (a box of Bisquick or Red Lobster biscuit mix, evaporated milk, cream of chicken, can of mixed veggies, can of potatoes, 2 chicken bouillon cubes, and a garlic or onion powder), 50 cake kits (made up of a box of cake, can of soda, and a container of icing), 50 juices, and 75 pans.
Ten complete meal kits were also kept by Nelson and given out anonymously to those in need. He also had an additional 300 ziploc bags donated to the cause. Several leftover additional items collected were donated to local food pantries. These items included 24 cake kits, 6 boxes of cake mix, 20 bottles of juice, 25 cans of evaporated milk, 2 cans of vegetables, 38 cans of soup, 10 packages of onion powder, 75 chicken bouillon cubes, 50 cans of potatoes, and 2 cans of chicken.
Wheeler County Sheriff Glenn Giles spoke on the project. “This outstanding project is a testament to Jack’s character, dedication, and compassion. We want him to know how proud we are of his hard work, and how truly appreciative our community is of the time and effort he put into making a difference,” he emphasized.
