PRESTON – Thanksgiving for a lot of families is a time to share a turkey dinner, tells stories and watch football, but there are families that don’t have the means to have turkey or anything to go with it.
A volunteer loads some Thanksgiving dinner goods in to a car on Tuesday Nov. 25, 2025
But there are people who recognize families when times are tough and feel the joy that comes of giving to strangers.
For 12 years Todd and Teresa Lundahl have been blessing families with Thanksgiving food boxes for people in Franklin County. They have recruited other companies and volunteers to join them in their efforts.
The first year they gave out only turkeys and since the recruited more help and have included more offerings.
On Monday, the Lundahl family including their grandchildren will once again assemble turkey, trimmings and deserts for struggling families in Franklin County. They will hand the boxes out Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, the families drove up to the Archery Building in Preston and volunteers loaded up the boxes of turkeys, trimming and desserts in the cars. It was a process that took only a couple of hours.
A partial box being prepared for a family at Thanksgiving in 2022.
They have a list of the number of family members and the first thing they do is mark out the names so no one knows who they are helping. Then they mark the box with how many people in the family and fill the boxes to meet the size of the family.
“We went to Preston years ago and looked at the food pantry they had it was small and we could see the need was great,” Terresa Lundahl said. “There were so many families struggling and that one meal could bring comfort and dignity it also lets them know they are not alone.”
There is always a lot said about the Cache Community Food Pantry but not much attention goes to the Preston Food Pantry she said.
The boxes provide a turkey, sides and desert. Lundahl’s work with the food pantry to decide which families to include in the dinners.
“For me it’s about giving people a sense of hope and belonging,” she said. “When you give a meal it’s nice to see the relief on their face and know that they do matter.”
Every year the list of families grows.
“The gratitude received by giving a simple meal and watch how it can lift the families is priceless,” Lundahl said. “And best of all, our grandkids get to see what happens when you help others.”
They are giving some 150 boxes this year to families they hope will give them a boost for the holiday season.
The items included in on of the turkey dinner boxes given out in Preston on Tuesday Nov. 25, 2025.
The donations come from area businesses including grocery stores like Lee’s Market Place, Stokes Market, Ridley’s Family Market, Macey’s and Sam Patch Grocer & Sundries.
Then area wholesalers like Gossner Foods, Schreiber Foods, Casper’s Ice Cream, Theurer’s Quality Meats, Lloyd Ag Seed Potatoes and Central Milling. Home Depot also contributes. Then there are companies like Lundahl Industries, Axis Automated Ironworks, and Lundahl Builders that also pinch in to make Thanksgiving meals possible.