Thanksgiving fixings given to families in new homes

ST. LOUIS -- After nearly four months living in a shelter, Rochelle Brooks will be grateful this Thanksgiving to have all her children back with her in a new apartment.

She was one of about 600 formerly homeless people picking up turkey and all the fixings at the St. Patrick Center this week, meals they can cook at their new homes.

The center in downtown St. Louis is the largest provider of homeless services in Missouri and has been helping those in need for a quarter of a century. Officials there said the center placed more than 600 people and their children into permanent housing in the last fiscal year, and helped about 750 people find jobs.

Giving out turkeys to those in need before Thanksgiving isn't a new tradition, but it certainly isn't taken for granted by those just trying to make ends meet, especially in these difficult economic times.

"This is our Thanksgiving meal, because I wasn't going to be able to afford to cook," Brooks said.

Thanksgiving necessities

Brooks, 29, picked up a hefty frozen turkey, a bag filled with cans of green beans, corn, yams, carrots and cranberry sauce as well as potatoes, stuffing and gravy. Volunteers also set her up with a foil pan to cook her bird and baking ingredients for dessert.

Katie Holcomb, the St. Patrick Center event planner, said case managers identify families they've been working with that might like to receive a Thanksgiving meal.

From there, they're issued fliers telling them when they can come in to pick up their food. Area corporations, churches and individuals provided the donations that were being distributed Monday and today.

Brooks, a mother of six, said the home she had been renting last year was foreclosed on, forcing her family to move out. She and two of her children had to move into a shelter earlier this year, while her three youngest children stayed with their dad and her oldest child was with her sister.

The St. Patrick Center provided her with apartment listings and help as she searched for a job, which she found as a cook.

She'll work Thanksgiving night, but celebrate the holiday with a home-cooked meal with her family during the day.

Her current situation is a big improvement over life in the shelter, where she said there wasn't always hot water or hot meals.

"It's hard sometimes, but you can't give up. You have to keep pushing," Brooks said.

The two-bedroom apartment where she and her children are staying is cramped, but she said that's OK.

"We're all back together, and that's what matters," she said.