Record number hit during Thanksgiving for Thousands
Mountaire Farms’ Thanksgiving for Thousands is a record breaker in 2022. The company is partnering with hundreds of churches and nonprofit organizations in four states to pack 32,250 meal boxes for families in need, enough to feed 129,000 people.
Locally, nearly 300 volunteers got to work early Nov. 21, packing 11,000 meal boxes to feed nearly 50,000 people on four assembly lines at Mountaire’s Selbyville plant. The boxes, filled with a roaster chicken, yams, gravy, corn, green beans, cranberries, stuffing and brownies, were loaded into tractor-trailers and taken to distribution sites throughout Delmarva. More volunteers from organizations and churches picked up the boxes Nov. 22 for delivery to the people they serve.
The company also packs meal boxes at Christmas and Easter. Other packing events took place at three plants in North Carolina.
“It’s been a blessing to our company and for our employees who help pack boxes every year right alongside community volunteers. It’s at the heart of who we are as a company,” said Mountaire Farms President Phillip Plylar.
![Phillip Plylar, president of Mountaire Farms, thanks the nearly 300 volunteers taking part in the 28th annual packing day for Thanksgiving for Thousands.](/sites/capegazette/files/2022/11/field/image/_DSC9561.jpg)
![Believe it or not, before afternoon all of the cans piled up will be packed in boxes as part of a Thanksgiving meal.](/sites/capegazette/files/2022/11/field/image/_DSC9621.jpg)
![Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, takes a turn on the assembly line packing roaster chickens in meal boxes.](/sites/capegazette/files/2022/11/field/image/_DSC9573.jpg)
![From above, volunteers move meal boxes along one of four assembly lines set up at Mountaire’s Selbyville plant.](/sites/capegazette/files/2022/11/field/image/_DSC9631.jpg)
![Piled high, meal boxes are ready to be shipped to distribution points to be picked up by churches and organizations.](/sites/capegazette/files/2022/11/field/image/_DSC9637.jpg)
![Because of the increase in the number of meal boxes, Mountaire officials have added two more assembly lines under a tent.](/sites/capegazette/files/2022/11/field/image/_DSC9656.jpg)