A Thanksgiving Turkey
“A turkey may seem simple, but for these mothers, it creates space for a rare moment of celebration and time spent with their children, time that is often swallowed up by the demands of work and responsibilities of life…”
YouthBASE is a free academic-intervention afterschool and summer program serving K5–2nd grade students who are referred to us because they are significantly behind academically. Alongside our academic support, we also work hard to provide comprehensive whole-child, whole family support to give our students the best chance of getting on grade level by 3rd grade. We stay in consistent communication with parents, advocate for our students through communication with their elementary school teachers and school social workers, and offer two parent-engagement programs.
One of these parent engagement programs is our monthly Family Night, where students and their families share a meal and complete an activity together. The other is Café de Madres, a biweekly gathering for Spanish-speaking mothers in the community that provides connection, resources, and mutual support.
Loaves & Fishes has played a meaningful role in strengthening this work. During Hurricane Helene, every single one of our families lost power. Some lost power for a week, others for nearly a month. Parents began expressing worry about food shortages, and we knew we needed to act quickly. When I reached out to Loaves & Fishes, the response was immediate. Nathaniel invited me to come right away and collect as much food as I could from a freshly stocked truck. Because of that generosity, we were able to pack 25 boxes, one for each family we serve, each containing at least 15 non-perishable items to help them get through an incredibly difficult stretch.
More recently, we were struggling to find enough frozen Thanksgiving turkeys for the 30 women who attend Café de Madres. This year has been financially overwhelming for many of our families. Rising unemployment, unreliable government assistance, and policies that disproportionately burden vulnerable populations have forced nonprofits like ours to stretch further, and to help families with everything from gas money to urgent basic needs. Ensuring that every family could enjoy a Thanksgiving meal felt especially important. A turkey may seem simple, but for these mothers, it creates space for a rare moment of celebration and time spent with their children, time that is often swallowed up by the demands of work and responsibilities of life. Loaves & Fishes once again stepped in with compassion and speed, helping us secure the frozen turkeys needed to make that possible.
In all of this, Loaves & Fishes contributes in a deeply meaningful way to the work YouthBASE does in our community. Their rapid response, their willingness to help when unexpected needs arise, and their commitment to ensuring families have access to essential food resources make it possible for our families to stabilize, our students to continue learning, and for our programs to thrive. We are profoundly grateful for their partnership.
I’d like to share a snapshot of one family we’ve been walking alongside. We serve a pair of twin girls in our academic after-school program. They live with their single mother, their older brother, and a younger sister. Not long ago, they were staying in a severely rundown trailer. When Hurricane Helene hit, the family lost power and water for nearly a month.
When we arrived with a box of food and water bottles provided by Loaves & Fishes, it wasn’t just a delivery; it was relief. It meant the family had something to eat that night. And when our students have food at home, something powerful happens: the tension in their home environment softens, their bodies can regulate, and their minds finally have the space to absorb information in the classroom.
Food is the most basic foundation for everything, from learning to parenting to working to simply staying grounded.
Loaves & Fishes was an essential part of that foundation for this family during a very difficult chapter in their lives, and we are deeply grateful for their partnership in helping our students thrive in times of food uncertainty.
Katrina Peavy, Communications & Development Coordinator at YouthBase