It was a wonderful week of giving and gifting at Living Well, and we are overflowing with gratitude. A huge thank-you to the organizations and volunteers who helped launch the holiday season in the best way possible:
On Saturday, volunteers from the Turkish American Society of Minnesota split into three teams and delivered Turkish-style meals to three Living Well homes—Westchester, Cope, and France. They prepared generous portions of delicious food and stayed to share the meal with the people who live and work there. The conversations were lively, the connections meaningful, and the joy unmistakable.
To make the day even more special, they brought creative gift packs filled with paper, markers, pencils, and supplies for fun projects. The group at Cope went a step further and gifted everyone beautiful Turkish Evil Eye charm keychains.
Also on Saturday, at our Northland offices, we welcomed families for a Thanksgiving Edition of Family Meal Makers. A tradition since 2019, this event invites families to volunteer together on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to kick off a season of gratitude. This year, two families—10 volunteers in total—prepared 72 meals, enough to send two meals to each of our 36 homes. With six different recipes, we ensured a wonderful variety for individuals to enjoy and staff to prepare with ease. We were delighted to see that many of these volunteers returned from last year!
Then today brought even more excitement! Volunteer Program Manager Kathy Anderson and Cindy from Carmen Lane visited the Vikings training facility for a very special pickup. The Minnesota Vikings donated turkeys and full meal kits for all 37 Living Well homes. As part of their annual Thanksgiving Drive-Through with Land O’Lakes, the Vikings provided 1,500 meals to the community—and we were thrilled to be included.
Back at the office, volunteers stepped up once again, signing up for nine delivery routes to ensure every home received their Thanksgiving supplies. Several drivers even wore turkey headbands to make the deliveries extra festive!
A HUGE round of applause to the Turkish American Society of Minnesota; our Family Meal Maker volunteers; the Minnesota Vikings; our Thanksgiving delivery drivers; Field Nation of Minneapolis and Wakota Federal Credit Union in South St. Paul for assembling and donating Gratitude Kits filled with jars, coloring activities, treats, and décor for all 37 homes; and Christus Victor Lutheran Church and The Umbrella Group for crafting heartfelt Thanksgiving greetings included in the Vikings meal kits.
Your generosity and partnership embody the spirit of the season—and make an incredible difference for the people we support. Thank you for helping us start the holidays with so much joy!
Join our mailing list and never miss out on invites and information. Click here to get a weekly email! Email Adrienne at Adrienne.deruyck@livingwell.org for more information about house openings.