CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — It’s the season of giving and a season of hope. It’s also a time to look at what we can be thankful for. For those working to end food insecurity, they see how a simple potato makes all the difference.

It’s a Tuesday at 10 a.m. The weekly food drive at Resurrection Life Food Pantry is open. It's time for turkey.

“We’ve handed out a bunch of our bags and we got a lot more to go,” said Lindsey Mang of Clarence.

Lindsey and her husband Jeremy, sons Tyler, Camden and Max were handing out food at the pantry for the first time. 

“It’s fun to see, to complete the loop,” Jeremy said.

“We made 345 bags,” Tyler said.

“It took over my house," Camden said. “Every time there was a bag in front of me!”

“Mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce,” Max Mang listed as items in the bags they filled.

In total, there are 1,400 of those meals ready to give. Turkey was included by the pantry.

But before we go further, let’s go back before 10 a.m., before they christened the new drive-thru, lined the halls with carts and opened the garage doors.

Kim Reynolds talked about her journey that started just a decade ago.

“We really only started with about 200, 250 turkeys. That's it,” Reynolds said.

As the need has grown over the years, so has the pantry.

“On my business card, I would love to put 'professional beggar,' because that's what I do all the time,” Reynolds laughed and said.

She’s an advocate who will never take credit for the pantry’s success.

“Our volunteers are the lifeblood of this of this pantry,” Reynolds said. “They truly are. We have 120 regular volunteers that come here weekly.”

Reynolds says most of the people who come here are veterans, seniors, and the disabled.

“We also deliver to 200 seniors throughout Cheektowaga, and then we partnered with the VA's homeless program to feed close to 200 chronically homeless veterans,” Reynolds said.

Her mission to keep giving is infections, which brings us back to the Mang family. Their bags are worth $3,400 in donations.

“It started back in 2018, and we just wanted to do something as a family to give back to the community,” Lindsey said.

It started with a little more than a dozen boxes.

“This year I was like, I actually teared up,” Lindsey said. “I'm like, I can't believe it's grown so much.”

It’s in an effort to inspire her kids, their friends and parents — everyone.

“Kindness wins,” she smiled. “And, help other people,” Max added.

This is the time of the year that pantries or food banks need help. Reynolds suggests giving money instead of food. They get more bang for their buck than you do, thanks to the community partnerships they have.