COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “17 million households suffered from food insecurity at some point in 2022.” Valley Rescue Mission (VRM), a local non-profit, is addressing food insecurity in Columbus this holiday season by providing hot Thanksgiving meals to those in need.

VRM is accepting donations including turkeys, hams, checks and cash to support their goal this Thanksgiving: feeding the hungry.

The organization served 129,600 meals throughout last year. They plan to serve over 400 meals on Thanksgiving Day this year.

VRM CEO, Mike Gaymon, says providing these meals serves as a hand up, not a hand out.

A lot of these folks really don’t have a family. They live alone or all their family is gone somewhere else. So, they are very grateful that somebody would take time to donate a turkey, that the mission would take time to cook that turkey and prepare it, and then the meals will be available for them at no cost.”

Mike Gaymon, Valley Rescue Mission CEO/President

To donate turkeys, hams or cash, stop by Valley Rescue Mission at this address: 2903 2nd Ave, Columbus, GA 31904. Their hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For those interested in volunteering, you can sign up to serve or deliver food by calling 706-322-8267 or visiting their website.