PITTSBURGH \u2014 More than 100 volunteers gathered this week to package nearly 2,800 Thanksgiving meals for families in need, as Light of Life Rescue Mission prepares to serve a record number of people this holiday season.<\/p>\n
Organizers say this year\u2019s distribution will reach roughly 22,000 people \u2014 an increase from last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach year has been incrementally getting more usually it\u2019s one or 200 but this time we\u2019re doing a 500 jump we just started seeing more demand,\u201d said Light of Life Executive Director Jerral Gilliam.<\/p>\n
The organization attributes the growing need in part to lingering effects of the federal government shutdown and the pause of SNAP benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been some improvement, but the rollout has been kind of chaotic,\u201d said Gilliam. \u201cSome people received their full benefits, others got partial benefits, and some still had none. They\u2019re still trying to work through the backlog.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volunteers say they are more eager than ever to jump in to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like my favorite event of the year,\u201d said volunteer Shannon Arnold, volunteering on behalf of FedEx. \u201cIt totally motivates me because it\u2019s a true, direct way to give back to the communities that we live in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Light of Life Rescue Mission says back in 2011, they packed 76 boxes.<\/p>\n
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