SPANISH FORT — To ensure everyone in Baldwin County has a Thanksgiving meal, Prodisee Pantry brought in hundreds of volunteers to pack boxes full of food.

On the morning of Nov. 4, as the sun was still rising, volunteers gathered in the parking lot of the pantry located on Spanish Fort Boulevard, eager to pack boxes full of Thanksgiving foods.

Before the boxes were packed and stacked, Prodisee Pantry Executive Director Deanne Servos prayed over the hands that would pack the boxes and the people who would receive them.

"We have done Thanksgiving for families for about 18 years," Servos said. "That means really tens of thousands of turkeys have left Prodisee Pantry to help families who are struggling during this time of year, and we couldn't do it without the community support."

Servos added that the boxes were able to be filled with food after raising money at the 14th-annual Prodisee Pantry Turkey Trot, which is a 5k race and one mile fun run in Daphne.

Each box had a message written on the side in the hopes of sending encouragement to the families who would receive them. "Jesus loves you" and "Have a happy Thanksgiving" were written in sharpie marker.

"It can be a dark time for so many, you know," Servos said. "We think about it being happy, joyful and merry, but for some it is not. So, by being able to know that each one of these boxes is filled with love, joy and comfort, you know that the community does want to reach out and comfort families so that they too can have a traditional Thanksgiving feast."

Servos added that families who receive these boxes with words of encouragement written on the side have told her that they keep the boxes and see the kind words and know they are truly cared for.

Lynn Mostyn has been a bookkeeper and volunteer for Prodisee Pantry for over 10 years and credits the people she works with for making her time here enjoyable.

"I can't imagine a better group of people to volunteer with, not just the spirit of the volunteers, but you know that you're hands on and you are helping people," Mostyn said.

The bookkeeper added that seeing the community come together is very special.

"It is incredible because we get to volunteer on Tuesdays, and that is a privilege but there are so many people that don't get that opportunity because they work every day," she said. "So, we can do events like this and people get to come out and know that they are making an impact on the community."

Mostyn said that God has truly blessed Prodisee Pantry and continues to ensure they serve the community.

"We see people every week and they are invisible to so much of the community around them," the volunteer said. "You hear a lot about the life stories and there is just nothing better than that, and these people finally get to feel like they are contributing to that."