In Montgomery County, Maryland, the nonprofit So What Else is helping more than 35-thousand households celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Over the weekend, more than 14-hundred cars pulled through the organization's parking lot for volunteers to load their trunks with holiday meals.
Co-founder and executive director Dave Silbert says the demand is unusually high right now, with families in all kinds of circumstances looking for help. The event had been planned during the recent government shutdown and continued afterward, since many workers still haven’t received paychecks.
So What Else was founded in 2009 after a service trip following Hurricane Katrina and now focuses heavily on emergency food support. The group expects to distribute 20-million pounds of food this year and also offers youth programs and volunteer opportunities.
Source: WTOP