NATCHEZ — American painter Norman Rockwell in one of his iconic works portrayed Thanksgiving as a happy family sitting around a table, eagerly being served a roasted turkey.

Kay Miller, director of Feed the Hungry in Vidalia, knows not all Miss-Lou dinner tables will look like Rockwell’s depiction on Thanksgiving Day — and she, along with several volunteers, plans to change that.

Miller, who was named director of Feed the Hungry this month, is looking to find a way to give 200 turkeys to needy area families before Thanksgiving.

“God calls us to minister to the least of these, and that’s what we’re doing here,” Miller said Thursday from the Feed the Hungry Warehouse, located at 4810 U.S. 84.Feed the Hungry, Miller said, distributes approximately 180 boxes of canned foods, dried foods and sometimes frozen food the last Saturday of every month.

The food, which is packaged in cardboard boxes, is given to local residents who earn below a specific income and have met other criteria set by the organization.

First Assembly of God church, which is located next to Feed the Hungry, began the ministry decades ago.

Barry Brister, pastor of the church, said Feed the Hungry gets its monthly food supplies from the Food Bank of Central Louisiana, located in Alexandria.

The church pays 18 cents per pound of food, he said.

“This has been going on for a long time, and it takes a lot of people to make it happen,” Brister said.

Susan Chapman, financial consultant for Feed the Hungry, said the food distribution day is a sight to see.

“The parking lot is always full with several lines,” Chapman said. “And the (recipients) are always grateful. I’ve seen some come to tears.”

This year’s decision to deliver turkeys for Thanksgiving — and some for Christmas — is a new endeavor.

Miller said she’s confident that goal will be met, though.

Even before becoming Feed the Hungry director, Miller said she had a deep calling to serve those in need.

“I feel their pain,” she said with tears in her eyes. “I’ve always felt their pain.”

With the help of local support, Feed the Hungry has been able to help countless families, she said.

“Matthew chapter 25, verse 40 says ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me,’” Miller said. “I do think there is a hunger problem in the Miss-Lou, and God calls us to minister to those people — the least of these.”

Miller said the best way to help Feed the Hungry deliver 200 turkeys before the holidays is to stop by First Assembly of God in Vidalia and give a monetary donation or mail checks to the ministry at P.O. Box 577 Vidalia, La. 71373.

Any amount of money — or food donations — would be gladly accepted, she said.

Volunteers to help distribute the monthly donations, Miller said, are always welcome too.

“We want to help, and that’s what we’re here for,” she said.

For more information on Feed the Hungry, call 318-336-4050.