'That's the miracle of Thanksgiving ...'

People began lining up before dawn.

"Five a.m.," said Barbara Parker, a longtime St. Joseph Catholic Church volunteer, taking a break from packing grocery bags at the church's Food Pantry Monday.

They were needy folks, looking for a bagful of holiday cheer for Thanksgiving.

Some came alone.

Some came with children.

Some came for others physically unable to make it.

They left with a little something -- mix for stuffing and mashed potatoes, canned fruit and vegetables, a gift certificate towards a ham or turkey, bread and rolls.

All of it came from a community that shares its blessings with the less-than-fortunate.

Parker and a team of volunteers were out back, sorting through dry goods, loading them into bags for other volunteers inside the pantry to distribute to needy people.

They'd been at it since 8:30 a.m. and it was getting on toward noon.

It would be the same Tuesday and Wednesday and more than 2,000 people would receive Thanksgiving bags by then.

"We always seem to have enough food. How does that happen?" Parker said. "We were about to run out of bread and a truckful shows up. Go figure. That's the miracle of Thanksgiving."
















"We were running out of break and a truckload suddenly shows up. Go figure. That's the miracle of Thanksgiving."