Congregation Feeds Entire Community

115 pounds of turkey, more than two dozen volunteers, and the spirit of giving add up to one happy thanksgiving in White County. Tonight, KARK 4`s Mike Hellgren travels to Searcy to show us the feast put on by the West Race Baptist Church, a feast--they tell us--that`s part of their calling as Christians. For 13 years, what started as a simple Thanksgiving dinner for this church family on Race Street, has grown to include all of Searcy. Alana Walls has dished up the dressing, turkey, and veggies for the past decade here. She doesn`t have family in White County--so for her--this is it--and it`s more than plenty. "There are people whose lives would not be touched this Thanksgiving if we were not here doing this," Walls tells Hellgren. "It`s just a great opportunity for us to show God`s love," says West Race Baptist`s Bonnie Langston. The work starts early...smoking turkeys...wrapping turkeys... Dinner Chairman Roy Shelton tells Hellgren, "If everyone was loving and giving to everyone, it would be a lot better world." And the feast isn`t only held within the walls of the church... "We took them to both emergency rooms--the hosppital." We watched volunteers load food into a truck--and followed them to the White County Detention Center--for the inmates spending Thanksgiving behind bars. "You lose track of how many you do," says Shelton A great example of how to act... not just on Thanksgiving... but on the other 364 days of the year. Posted by Mike Hellgren