DURANT, Okla. -- Thanksgiving is especially important in Trish Burkhalter's life. She once depended on soup kitchens and food pantries just to get by. After moving back to Durant, and remarrying, she and her husband came up with an idea to give back to the community.

The couple opened Families Feeding Families. Together, Trish and her husband serve hundreds of meals to people every single day from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Old George Washington School cafeteria in Durant.

"We do this anymore out of love," she says. "This is our family, and it started as an outreach, but this is where we're supposed to be."

During this time of year, the kitchen needs more donations than its typical day-to-day operation. Local businesses have started pitching in to help. PRC Inbound Call Center held an employee food drive, giving employees the chance to wear jeans to work if they brought in enough cans of food.

"There is a huge need this year; more than other years," says the company's Carrie Barron. "They're very low on food."

But what they're not low on is compassion. "We may not have the same blood, or name, but we care. They call and say happy birthday. This is home for us," Burkhalter said.

If you'd like to donate, vegetables and other items are greatly appreciated:

-Canned Veggies
-Green Beans
-Canned Potatoes
-Mixed Veggies
-Cream of Chicken/Mushroom Soup
-Hamburger Helper Meals
-Cake Mixes and Frostings
-Cereals
-Oatmeal
-Sweetened Condensed Milk
-Beans (Canned/Dried)
-Canned Chili
-Peanut Butter
-Jelly
-Boxed Crackers
-Vegetable Soup

Here is a list of drop off locations:
-Larry Dyson Motors
-University Medical Center
-Nichols Dollar Saver
-United Way of Bryan County office
-PRC
-Southereastern Oklahoma State University
-Choctaw Nation

Please call 580-230-1828 for more information.