The Company That Usually Does the Pickup Does Some Dropping Off
Meridian Waste in partnership with the North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC) Pike County, donated 30 Thanksgiving dinners to families throughout the company’s Pike County collection service area and home to the company’s Eagle Ridge Landfill.
Meridian Waste first initiated this program last year in 2018 as a means of giving back to the community. The partnership with NECAC was such a success that both organizations have now made it a tradition. Meridian Waste provides the financial resources, promotion of the event and volunteers while NECAC selects the families in need and hosts the dinner give-away at their Pike Co Service Center facility located at 805 Bus Hwy. 61 N, Bowling Green. In order to be given a turkey dinner, the families must agree to participate in one of NECAC’s life skills workshops so that the giving goes beyond one meal and helps to educate families with much-needed life skill workshops such as Budgeting, Nutrition, Self-Esteem, Good Neighbor and Building Strong Families.
Eagle Ridge General Manager Roger Smith was joined by Linda Fritz and Chandra Roberts of NECAC, and Meridian Waste Missouri Government and Community Affairs Manager Natalie Denando to shop, assemble, and welcome the families to pick up their Thanksgiving meals. Meridian Waste invited customers and landfill neighbors to help identify qualifying families by mailing over 500 informational invitations to nominate a family in need. The chosen families’ names and pictures are not published out of privacy and respect.
The traditional Thanksgiving meals each include a turkey, stuffing, cranberries, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie, and more for the recipients to cook and customize to warm their homes and share with their families.
Cover Photo: Linda Fritz and Chandra Roberts of the NECAC, Roger Smith and Natalie Denando of Meridian Waste, and Save A Lot Manager Larry Hensiek.
Photo: Donation boxes of Thanksgiving food items are assembled for the families to pick up.