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Gem County 'Feed The Need' campaign delivers Thanksgiving meals to those in need

A team from the Gem County Recovery Community Center worked Thursday to create and deliver holiday meals to those in need.

GEM COUNTY, Idaho — The team at the Gem County Recovery Community Center worked through Thanksgiving to make and deliver meals to people in need as a part of their ‘Feed The Need’ Campaign. Led by executive director Stacey Rosecrans, volunteers assembled holiday meals that have all the delicious fixings.

“Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, pie, dinner rolls,” said Dwight Munger, spokesman for Gem County Recovery Community Center.

The advertisement to their area is simple: anyone in need can simply call and get the meals they need.

“We anticipate delivering several hundred meals today. Last year we did about 230 meals and we expect that to be doubled this year,” Munger said.

The tough reality is that 2020 has been extra tough on Idaho communities, Munger says a great team came together knowing their community needed them.

“From what’s been reported and told to us recently Gem County has a higher rate of food insecurity than any other county in the state of Idaho,” Munger said.

The Gem County Recovery Community Center is a resource for people battling things like addiction or mental illness. Munger says the community is so supportive of them, so they want to do what they can to return the sentiment.

“So this is our way of giving back to the community and to those people who share and show love to us,” Munger said.

The community donated food, supplies, and money to help power Feed The Need. That is something the center is so thankful for. Munger says acts like that make this community event special

“It gives you inspiration to do more and to be more kind to people every day,” Munger said.

This is a place filled with inspiration for many. Munger for example draws on his personal experiences of overcoming hard times with the support here.

“I became an amputee about four years ago following a tragic car accident. I had a brief about a year-long addiction that landed me in trouble and completely changed my life,” Munger said. “The devastation of the accident and amputation and recovering from the injuries and the addiction and all of that I was very defeated.”

He ended up here to simply take a class, but with the support and sense of community, he found he started on a path to overcoming his toughest challenges. That is something Munger is forever thankful for.

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I was in such despair four years ago and my life was completely over as I knew it and now I’m seriously and honestly genuinely happier than I’ve ever been,” Munger said.  

It’s no secret 2020 has been a tough year, but Munger says seeing volunteers and the community come together to help those in need defines to him what the season of thanks is about.

“I used to think I was thankful or I would say that I was thankful but it was sort of hollow or empty now my gratitude and my thankfulness really comes from the heart,” Munger said.

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