St. Patrick students donate to Thanksgiving in the Woods

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Friday, students of St. Patrick High School rolled up their sleeves for this year’s Shepherd of the Gulf Thanksgiving in the Woods.

Dozens of donations were made for those in need of help this holiday season.

Students in the Key Club collected food, blankets, and supplies for the coast’s most vulnerable.

“We are blessed and we wanna give back to the charity, looking for any charity events we know possible,” said Peter Russo, a senior a St. Patrick High School.

Senior Peter Russo said his organization partnered with Shepherd of the Gulf for the annual Thanksgiving in the Woods event.

During this time, nonprofits visit homeless camps to supply meals and items in order to keep folks warm throughout the holiday season.

“We have soup kitchens, we have Feed My Sheep, we have the Salvation Army. We’ll try to go out and bring the meal to them and actually feel like they’re at home and in a place they’re comfortable at,” said Kegan Wood, Veterans Affairs Coordinator with Shepard of the Gulf, LLC.

Jody Couch with Inside Outside Outreach extended a hand for the cause as well.

“They are mobile outreaches. They go into the camps, not a lot of organizations go directly into the camps. Whether it’s food, blankets, supplies, or whatever they need. We try to accommodate them,” said Couch.

Both are grateful for the generous donations made by the community, businesses, and nonprofits.

“Just the comradery amongst these kids is great. It’s a great day for the homeless,” said Couch.

Donations will be distributed on Thanksgiving Day into the month of December.

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