COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — With Thanksgiving right around the corner, local churches and organizations are giving back, lifting the burden from families in need this holiday season.

New Destiny Church members stopped by Rigdon Road Elementary Friday afternoon with Thanksgiving meals for eight lucky families. Each family took home turkey, gravy, dressing and sweet potato soufflé.

New Destiny Church pastor, Dequindrae Hardnett, had an extra sweet treat for the families. He offered them gift cards to pick up a pan of peach cobbler from the Peach Cobbler Factory in Columbus.

The elementary school partners with New Destiny Church every year. Rigdon Elementary falls under the Title I program. This is a program that provides federal funding through the Georgia Department of Education to schools with a high percentage of underprivileged children. Organizers say this initiative is all about putting the children first.

To be able to do this for our students, for our families, is a blessing because we take for granted every day the just the value of being able to eat, to be able to be with our families, and just to be able to provide just a meal for our families during this time.

Andria Horne, Rigdon Road Elementary School Counselor

The church was able to fund the Thanksgiving meals from Country’s Barbeque completely in-house. The food costing around $1,000 is set to feed over 40 people.