“It was great to see First Priority students partner with other ministries in the area and be the hands and feet of Jesus this holiday season,” said First Priority Area Director James Cato. “Students helped local families in need by collecting, packing and distributing food.”

New Covenant Christian Ministries (NCCM) and Mission Birmingham are providing turkeys and food bags for 1,000 financially disadvantaged families this Thanksgiving. In mid-October, Mission Birmingham Partnership Coordinator Ronnie Adkins approached First Priority about clubs assisting with a food drive. At the time, the organizations already had 1,000 turkeys as well as canned food for 300 bags. They still needed canned goods for the other 700. A couple of First Priority clubs including Bagley Jr. High School and Moody High School took this mission opportunity to heart and got busy collecting food. Several students also served by boxing the food, preparing it for distribution.

“The students had a wonderful day today,” said Bagley Jr. High School First Priority Faculty Sponsor Letecia Boyer. “Our students brought close to 750 cans of food and boxed-up over 125 boxes in just over an hour! This was a great experience for our students. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.”

First Priority Student Leader Devon Grinfield said Moody High School held a contest for the can drive. The class that collected the most cans of food would receive hot chocolate and cookies. “The can drive was great and turned out really well,” said Devon. “We collected nearly 200 cans of food. The contest was a great incentive for students to participate.”

Together, these clubs collected approximately 1,000 cans of food for families in need this Thanksgiving. We are truly appreciative to all those who participated by collecting food and volunteering their time to help those in need. Thank you for your time and service!