Photo by Joselyn King Volunteers Dee King, left, and Andrea Duska help ready food items at the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple for distribution on Saturday in time for next week’s Thanksgiving dinner.

WHEELING — Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in North Wheeling has been distributing food items and providing Thanksgiving dinners to families for 35 years — but never before have they done so in the aftermath of a government shutdown and patrons faced with losing their regular SNAP benefits.

The church’s annual Thanksgiving giveaway starts at 11 a.m. Saturday in the rear of the North Wheeling Dream Center, 334 Main St., Wheeling.

“We’re grateful the government has re-opened — but we are not sure yet whether people have got their SNAP (benefits),” Bishop Darrell Cummings said. “We want to help as many as we can.

“We have increased our order of hams and turkeys, fruits and vegetables. We want to provide as much help as we can.”

Cummings said the cost of the giveaway most years has been in the $10,000 to $12,000 range. This year, he is expecting expenditures to go closer to $20,000.

An additional $2,000 to $3,000 in turkeys has been ordered, and extra fruits vegetables being purchased might also add another $3,000, he continued.

“Some of this is being donated,” Cummings said. “Some we pay out as we go. Some are on layaway. Some are on credit. We do what it takes to get through.

“We are grateful for all of our sponsors.”

The church also has less funds to work with this year, he noted.

Bethlehem Temple annually hosts a charity basketball game that raises about $10,000 for Thanksgiving and Christmas food distribution. This year, the game raised “less than $5,000,” according to Cummings. He said this was most likely because he was out of the country doing required missionary work in Africa and wasn’t able to promote the game as he did in the past.

“It was a different economy when we started 35 years ago,” he explained. “We were unique, but that’s not the case now. There are a lot of agencies providing services.

“We don’t have a large donor base, and we’re not a large church. We don’t get $100,000 donations. Most of our donations are for $10 or $20, and we are grateful for what we do get. We are very appreciative.”

Money needed always seems to show up at the church when needed, Cummings continued.

“We get a miracle every time,” he said. “God blesses us every time.”

Cummings noted those wanting to make donations to the church should go online to bethlehemapostolictemple.org. They may also mail a check to Bethlehem Apostolic Temple, P.O. Box 6051, Wheeling, WV 26003 and write in the memo it is for the food ministry or Thanksgiving giveaway.

“We may not have all we want, but we are going to make the best of what we do have.,” he said. “Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that nobody is saying is corrupt or a bad holiday.”

For example, many say the world is taking the “Christ” out of Christmas, and that the season is more about commercialism than spiritualism or love, Cummings explained.

“Nobody says that about Thanksgiving,” he added. “We’re not taking the ‘thanks’ out of Thanksgiving. Families still come together and celebrate another year. There is still thanks in Thanksgiving.”