The gift of giving: Volunteers assemble Thanksgiving baskets for families

Volunteers organize pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving baskets.

Volunteers get ready to assemble Thanksgiving baskets.

Alice Forrest donated 100 pumpkin pies for families to enjoy.

President/CEO Jaimie Clayton receives a donation from Marianne Long, director of Volunteer & Community Outreach at One Oak Church in Royal Oak.

Stuffing and rolls top a Thanksgiving basket stuffed with a turkey and all the sides for a delicious meal.

Volunteers assembled Thanksgiving baskets for 100 clients who otherwise would not have had a meal.

Cans of yams and green beans were among the food items donated for Thanksgiving baskets.

Volunteers placed apple juice in Thanksgiving baskets for families to enjoy.

Volunteers worked quickly to get Thanksgiving baskets assembled.

Volunteer transports Thanksgiving baskets to the pick up location.

Oakland Family Services provided 100 turkeys to families for Thanksgiving.

Helping provide a Thanksgiving meal puts a smile on this volunteer's face.

Alice Forrest grabbed two cans of green beans at a time and quickly placed them in a basket already stuffed with a turkey and large can of yams. She gently pushed it to the next volunteer who added cans of corn and cranberry sauce to what would eventually become a Thanksgiving meal.

More than a dozen volunteers gathered at Oakland Family Services Nov. 26 to assemble Thanksgiving baskets for 100 clients who otherwise would not have a meal to share with their families.

This was the second year in a row Forrest, who donated 100 pumpkin pies for families to enjoy, volunteered to help.

“My husband and I really support Oakland Family Services,” the Bloomfield Hills woman said. “It’s one of our favorite agencies at which to do volunteer work. I really like their programs that support women and children. This is an amazing place.”

Nine employees from Flagstar Bank also were on hand to fill the baskets. Jennifer Johnson, director of accounting at Flagstar Bank, said employees have previously volunteered to assist with Oakland Family Services Adopt A Family program and they wanted to help the agency in other ways, as well.

“This makes a difference in the lives of somebody who needs it, and you feel good helping people for a good cause,” she said. “We have to help each other.”

Renee Unger of Commerce Township has been helping to assemble Thanksgiving baskets at Oakland Family Services for about five years. The realtor enjoys volunteering.

“I’m very fortunate, and I like to give back to the community,” she said.

Stacy Fairman of Rochester and her friend, Jessica Schilling of Clarkston, decided to help out after finding out online the agency was looking for volunteers.

“It’s very cool to see everything that goes into it and how much is donated,” Schilling said. “Helping 100 families is really sweet. I would love to see their faces when they get it.”

Oakland Family Services would like to thank CorsoCare, Meritor, and Stout for conducting food drives, and One Oak Church in Royal Oak for collecting cash donations to purchase food.

Kristin Benton, director of development at Oakland Family Services, said the agency is grateful to everyone who helped make the project a success.

“We are lucky to have such wonderful support from our community, from those who donated to fill these baskets to those who gave of their time to assemble them. For many of our families, the holidays are a time of great stress. We're thankful to everyone who supported this program so our families could have a memorable Thanksgiving.”