All Alisa wanted was a hot holiday meal for her kids. YOU gave her much more!

The day before Thanksgiving, Alisa stood at the back door of Metropolitan Ministries’ kitchen. She was tired, anxious, and desperate.

She didn’t want to ask for much . . . just something to bring home to her children. A hot meal so that the holiday could feel a little less empty. A little more cheerful. More than anything, she wanted her kids to feel normal in a season that felt anything but. A friend had mentioned “that place near downtown that helps people.” And so Alisa, following a thread of hope, came to see what she would find. What she wasn’t expecting to find was a miracle.

Just an hour before she arrived, a generous donor had dropped off a fully cooked Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls — the works. It was enough for a whole family. Just enough for hers.

When all the food was handed to her, she broke down in tears.

“You have no idea how much this means,” she whispered, thinking of her kids at home.

But the meal wasn’t the only care she was given. Alisa was invited inside, where our staff listened to her story and gently offered more support. Within days, Alisa was in our housing program, and her children were back in a stable environment.

A holiday meal was the start of Alisa’s transformation!
You can help more single moms like her this Christmas.

Since then, Alisa has taken life skills courses, started job training, and found a community that believes in her — something she is incredibly grateful for.

And it all started with a hot Thanksgiving meal. This holiday season, you can offer the same hope to another family in crisis, like Alisa’s. Right now, your special Christmas gift will be doubled, thanks to a $100,000 Christmas Gift Match. That means your gift now will provide twice the meals, twice the care, and twice the hope for struggling families in our community. You won’t just be meeting a need in the moment. You’ll be opening the door to long-term transformation . . . and a future filled with hope.

Thank you and God bless you for making the holidays brighter for families like Alisa’s, and single men, women, and seniors in need in the Tampa Bay area.