Thanksgiving may still be a few months away, but one local organization is already planning for the holiday meal.

Healing of the Souls is planning to distribute food to needy families again this year — a distribution they hope will be a community effort from citizens in Brewton, East Brewton and Flomaton.

Janet Byrd, an organizer with Healing of the Souls, said help from other groups would make the food distribution more effective this year.

“We are asking businesses, churches and school to help out this year by placing boxes for donations where possible,” Byrd said. “We are encouraging students, members and employees to fill the boxes with non-perishable items to be distributed.”

Byrd said HOS volunteers had previously used food items from Bay Area Food Bank for the annual distribution during the holiday period.

“Last year, churches and the Bay Area Food Bank gave away 12,000 pounds of food,” Byrd said. “This year, we hope to get more people involved with contributions so that we can serve more people.”

Byrd said the group has a goal for the number of people they hope to serve with the food distribution.

“We are hoping to fill 400 boxes with food items for East Brewton and Brewton residents and 200 boxes for Flomaton residents this year,” Byrd said. “We are hoping that we will be able to provide a turkey and enough food to fix a nice Thanksgiving dinner in the boxes.”

Byrd said the early request for contributions and donations is meant to prepare as much as possible for the holiday food distribution.

“We will need to pick up any donated items for the food boxes by Nov. 8,” Byrd said. “It takes some time to prepare an pack the boxes and we are planning for a distribution day on Nov. 17.”

Byrd said sign-up days for families requesting food boxes are being planned in November.

“We will have two days for family sign-ups in the Brewton area and two days in the Flomaton area,” Byrd said. “We are hoping to take care of that around the first of November. We will be doing sign-ups and distributions at Alco Baptist Church for those in Brewton and East Brewton and at the Flomaton Pentecostal Church for Flomaton residents.”

Byrd said the ministry group’s volunteers are working to make the distribution process more effective this year while incorporating help from the communities to be served.

“We are asking for support for this cause this year,” Byrd said. “We truly believe that no one should go hungry at Thanksgiving.”