In this season of giving thanks, a local church is banding together with others around the region to break bread with their Greater Rochester neighbors.
The Harvest Time Sanctuary will host its Gathered in Gratitude dinner on Saturday, with added help from volunteers from the New Beginnings Fellowship of Churches.
Bishop Karen Horace is the senior pastor at Harvest Time Sanctuary. She says she hopes the free community meal will bring in not just those experiencing food insecurity, but also anyone who may be lonely for Thanksgiving.
"I believe that if people know that, hey, I can go over here and, on this day, I can get a good meal, and the people are loving and kind and caring. I'll do that again. And not only that, but I'll go and I'll tell somebody," said Bishop Horace.
As a member of the New Beginnings Fellowship, Bishop Horace says she hopes Harvest Time Sanctuary can go further beyond the traditional idea of community service.
"It's not enough to just have resources. We want to make an impact. We want to be able to touch somebody's life and touch somebody's heart. We want to be able to give to such the degree that the people who receive know that there's no strings attached, and the mere fact that, hey, here it is. Here, if you need it, come get it," she said.
The Gathered in Gratitude dinner will be Saturday, November 14 from noon to 3 p.m. Food will be served in the new community life center at Harvest Time Sanctuary at 890 North Plymouth Avenue.
