William Verner Sr. and Anna Simmons were in their car waiting somewhere in the third block of a six-block car line.

“It’s a blessing,” Verner said, with Simmons listening and ready to finish his sentences with thoughts they both shared.

Theirs was one of hundreds of cars lining 27th Street from Prospect Avenue Nov. 24, where some 25,000 pounds of food, including frozen turkeys and chickens, were being stacked by a host of community agencies and volunteers at LINC’s Caring Communities site at the Morning Star Youth and Family Life Center.

“With what’s going on in the world today and all the stuff we got going on,” Verner said, searching for words. ” . . . and the homelessness, and things like that . . .”

“It’s a blessing to give to all these people,” Simmons said.

“It’s a blessing,” Verner agreed, “to be able to . . . ”

“To know you’re going to eat,” Simmons said.

” . . . know you’re going to eat,” Verner said, “for Thanksgiving.”

The organizers of the distribution named it “When the Help Needs Help,” said Pat Clarke, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, because the economic strain on neighborhoods and shortages in aid compelled community services, non-profits and their many volunteers to lean more on each other to meet the needs of neighbors this Thanksgiving season.

He waved an arm across the massive operation underway around him at Morning Star and all the people.

“All of these organizations and volunteers came together to help the community,” he said.

Cars and individuals in the walk-up line began showing up more than two hours before the distribution was to begin, three days before Thanksgiving.

“There are so many people who need help as we approach the holiday season” said Janet Miles-Bartee, the president and CEO of LINC. “It’s hard for people to ask for help. So we’re just grateful to be able to be here with a humble and generous heart today.”

Donya Webster was at the front of the walk-up line on this cool, gray morning. She said she expects to cook more than she needs and share many meals with neighbors and with anyone walking the street who looks like they might need a nice dinner.

“I think it’s going to be a bad winter,” Webster said. “And we all could use the help.”

By the time the distribution was done, after more than three hours, the participants in the cars and in the walk-up line had carried away basket-loads to their homes to feed a total of more than 1,000 adults and 750 children.

The wide range of boxed and canned foods, condiments, desserts and beverages included more than 700 frozen turkeys and 860 frozen chickens plus boxes of hot meals. The food items, gathered in massive shopping missions and donated from partners were loaded off of trucks and out of pantries and freezers. It stood arrayed in giant stacks across some 30 pallets, loaded into cars by an army of volunteers.

“This is a big one,” Rev. John Modest Miles of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church said through a bullhorn as the volunteers prepared for the day. “I mean a big one. We’re grateful for all of you who are here today.”

The partnering groups included Morning Star, LINC, the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, Aim4Peace, Metropolitan Spiritual Church, Harvesters, the Kansas City Police Department and the Kansas City Fire Department.

The lines of people coming for aid stretched on and on, “but the Lord made sure we had more than enough,” Clarke said. “We’re going to be able to feed a lot of people.”

And for that, said Tanga Hickson in the walk-up line, “we thank you.”

“We just thank you, God,” she said, “for allowing these people to donate (to) us and people that don’t have. We’re just thankful.”