NILES — Rust City Church recently led a coalition of volunteers and other area partners that distributed complete Thanksgiving dinners to 600 families in need.

Wes Washington, senior pastor at Rust City Church, said the church members increased the number of families served through its annual “Give Back Before You Kick Back” food distribution program by 50% this year in light of current economic and government program challenges facing the community.

“There are a lot of families across the Valley that are struggling to put food on the table week in and week out. It’s even harder for these families during the Thanksgiving season. That’s why Rust City Church really stepped up its game this year,” Washington said.

He said Rust City Church mobilized an army of more than 175 volunteers from its own congregation to help distribute Thanksgiving meals in the Eastwood Field parking lot the day before Thanksgiving.

A range of local businesses and non-profit organizations also stepped in to provide goods and services to the effort, said Jenny Cline, Rust City outreach director, who led the initiative.

“This really was a community effort. The success of the initiative this year demonstrates how, not just our church but our whole community, can come together to help out those in need,” Cline said, noting several local businesses provided significant support for the initiative.

Washington said the Rust City team worked to orchestrate the food distribution as efficiently as possible, enabling all 600 families to drive up and receive the meals in less than two hours time.

In addition to giving out meals, Rust City volunteers went from car to car to pray with families about their needs and concerns.

“Families in the area need more than food. They need someone to come alongside them, stand with them, pray with them, and support them. It’s part of our commitment to the Niles-Warren-Youngstown community,” Washington said.

Cline said the “Give Back Before You Kick Back” is Rust City Church’s annual Thanksgiving meal distribution, which is an extension of the church’s weekly Wednesday food and diaper initiative where local families can drive up and receive a variety of foods in the church parking lot at Eastwood Mall.

In 2024, Rust City gave out 340,000 pounds of food to more than 9,000 local families as part of the food distribution program.