Ladies Missionary Group continues fruit baskets tradition
Submitted photo From left, Butch Alt, Mt. Carmel Baptist Church Ladies Missionary Society President Trish Thomason, Shop ‘n Save Manager Seth Croston and Stephanie Collins each display a prepared holiday fruit basket.
ELKINS — The Mt. Carmel Baptist Church Ladies Missionary Society continued to keep a longtime holiday tradition alive this year by distributing holiday fruit baskets to more than 70 community members with the help of a local store.
As part of their annual mission goals, the Ladies Missionary Group from Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Beverly once again teamed up with Elkins Shop ‘n Save to present fruit baskets to those individuals or families that “may need a little Holiday Cheer.”
“Once again with the help from the Elkins Shop n Save, located on Five Lane (we) were able to reach out to 71 people in our area,” a Ladies Group press release state. “The Ladies Group would like to remind everyone that Jesus is the reason for the season.”
Every year the baskets are given to those in the community who may just need a hug, some love or a big smile to make their holidays a little brighter. The baskets are made up of apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, candy and sugar-free items, and topped with a “beautiful Christmas Card.”
Donations for the items were made by Ladies Group members and Elkins Shop ‘n Save, as well as other members of the community. The baskets this year were prepared by Shop ‘n Save Manager Seth Croston, who the group said did a “wonderful job.”
“Our Ladies Group has been doing this tradition for years now,” Trish Thomason, president of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church Ladies Missionary Society, told The Inter-Mountain in a previous statement.
“Every year we ask church members if they know of anyone in our community that might need a little cheering up, having a rough year, or just to let people know that we care.”
In the past, Thomason said, baskets were made and wrapped at Campbell’s Market by members of the Ladies Group. Since 2017, Shop n Save has been helping the group with the annual basket gathering and distribution.
“All baskets are picked up at the church by members and they will deliver them. We also reach out to other individuals in our local area,” Thomason said previously. “Our delivery date is usually the second Saturday of December and we start working on names the first of November.”