Longview's Thanksgiving Food Drive Needs Hands on November 23

Every year on the Monday before Thanksgiving, a convention center in Longview fills up with canned corn, green beans, cranberry sauce and a whole lot of volunteers.

That is the Longview Thanksgiving Food Drive, and it has been doing this quietly for a long time.

This year it needs hands again.

Who they are

By its own account on its About page, the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive has provided Thanksgiving groceries to Longview families for more than 40 years. It is an all-volunteer organization. It serves approximately 1,000 families each Thanksgiving, and since 1985 it has helped provide a Thanksgiving meal to more than 30,000 Longview families.

There is no paid staff. The organization's own history post says the work is done by volunteers who hold food drives and gather food from their neighbors, working with existing local nonprofits on the application side.

The need is growing

In its current Thanksgiving post, the Food Drive says it received over 2,200 applications for food boxes in 2025. That was up 500 from the 1,700 it received in 2024. It expects similar demand this year.

Food box applications received

Source: Longview Thanksgiving Food Drive ↗

The same post explains why cash matters early. Perishable items like turkeys and hens have to be committed and paid for ahead of time so they are ready on distribution day. Monetary donations go to those purchases.

The dates for 2026

Straight from the Food Drive's own pages:

• Sorting day and food drop-off: Monday, November 23, 2026, at the Maude Cobb Convention Center, 100 Grand Blvd. Donations are asked for between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Volunteers are encouraged to serve between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Volunteer page)
• Early food drop-off: Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Super 1 Foods stores at 1217 E. Marshall Ave. and 2301 W. Loop 281. (Donate page)
• Distribution day: Tuesday, November 24, 2026, as a drive-thru for pre-approved families. (Receive page)

On sorting day, the traffic post asks volunteers and donors to enter from Cotton Street onto Grand Blvd, use the left lane, and follow the cones to Maude Cobb. A separate turkey distribution will be running near the Exhibit Center the same day, so give yourself a little extra time.

Three ways to help

1. Give your time. The Volunteer page asks that volunteers be at least 16, or at least 12 if closely supervised by a parent or guardian. It describes sorting day as a colossal effort, "a mixture of order and chaos," and a great time alongside lots of other volunteers. There is a sign-up link on that page.

2. Give food. The Donate page lists what they need: green beans, corn, green peas, other peas or beans, soups, pasta, canned meat, dessert (include icing if you bring cake mix), Jello, cranberry sauce, bread, canned fruit, other vegetables, and drink mixes like Kool-aid or lemonade.

3. Give money. The same page explains that cash buys bulk items like meat. You can give online by card, by check, or at checkout at Longview-area Super 1 Foods and Brookshire's stores, where you can also pick up pre-made Food Drive bags.

You can also host a collection at your church, your shop or your office. The Volunteer page suggests making a game of it. Hold a contest. Dress like a turkey. Have fun with it.

If your family needs help

I want to be honest about the timing here. The Receive page says the 2026 application period ran October 1 through 31, and that every recipient must be pre-approved, live within a Longview postal address and meet income requirements. Pre-approval letters go out in November.

If you missed the window, the same page lists the local nonprofits that partner on applications, including Longview Community Ministries, the Salvation Army, Newgate Mission and Caring & Sharing. The About page says leftover food from the drive goes to those same groups. They are good people to call.

Why I am writing about this

East Texas does not wait for somebody else to fix things. It sorts the cans, loads the boxes and hands them through the truck window.

Forty years of that is something worth showing up for.

If you are in Gregg County, put Monday, November 23 on the calendar. Bring a bag of groceries. Bring your kids if they are old enough. Bring a friend.