Jesus House is among Oklahoma City groups that feed needy on Thanksgiving

About 400 people lined up Monday morning for Thanksgiving dinner packages at Jesus House west of downtown Oklahoma City. Jesus House is one of the many organizations trying to help the needy during the beginning of the holiday season.

“Establishing the need is fairly easy,” said Jack Denny, Jesus House executive director and CEO. “Anyone who will stand in line for hours for groceries is pretty well in need.”

At Jesus House, anyone with an established local address can get the supplies, which will be handed out again Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. until stocks run out.

Denny said people are usually lined up by the dozens each morning well before then.

The packages include frozen turkeys and other Thanksgiving staples such as sweet potatoes, stuffing and vegetables.

“As many things as we can accumulate to give to a family that otherwise may not be able to purchase them” is how Denny described it.

Though times in general have been good recently in Oklahoma City, which has had the nation's lowest employment rate for months, there's still plenty of need in the metro, Denny said.