MURRELLS INLET, SC (WBTW) – It was a special Thanksgiving Day for many at the Low County Community Church, some cooking and serving, while others were on the other side surrounded by good company.
The annual event, Project NOAH, makes sure ‘No One’s Alone on Holidays.’ The church had 178 volunteers who spend their thanksgiving serving a crowd of 1,000 visitors who would have spent the holiday alone otherwise.
“It’s incredible to see everyone come together for a common goal and that is to make sure no one is alone on a holiday,” Scott Cavin, Care Pastor at Low Country Community Church in Murrells Inlett.
For the 11th annual year, the Low Country Community Church turned its auditorium into a fine dining restaurant. Volunteers across the community spent the holiday cooking and serving in white aprons, preparing for a large crowd of people away from their family, away from home, or as Event Coordinator Louise Goodman recognized, some who may not have a home.
“I was driving through the parking lot looking for someone to invite and I saw a car where the windows were all steamed up. I made the assumption there was someone living in the car,” Goodman said.
Spreading the word on the event, Louise put a flyer in the car windshield days before Project NOAH, where she’d welcome and serve guests who walked in the door, striking up conversations, one in particular she will always remember.
“So I asked her, how did you find out about the event? She said when I woke up in my car this morning I found this flyer that announced this event and as you can imagine I fell into her arms and said I am the lady who put that flyer on your car this morning,” Goodman said.
Hundreds of dinner tables, chairs, plates, and hearts were filled this Thanksgiving Day.
“The conversations, food, it’s really a wonderful opportunity for me. As a single person it’s really great to be around people and have this meal together it’s a real blessing,” Tom Harris, Project NOAH attendee.
From 117 fried turkeys to the days in advance preparing homemade sides, a community comes together to make sure no one spends the holiday alone.
“We have one goal in mind and that is to serve as if we were serving our Father in heaven,” Cavin said.
Church volunteers say Project NOAH was a community effort from several local churches, restaurants, and volunteers who pitched in to donate food, money, time, and kitchen space.
The Low Country Community Church will help a neighbor church, Belin, who will host a similar event this Christmas.