There are several important traditions in the Ohio Valley for the holiday season. Among them are the Thanksgiving and Christmas giveaways sponsored each year by Bethlehem Apostolic Temple. Those events help those in need have joyous holiday seasons by receiving food, clothing and toys free of cost.

Bishop Darrell Cummings, lead pastor of the church, has been the leading force behind those giveaways every year. This year will be no different. What could be different, he said this week, is how many people could be in need due to the federal government shutdown and the pause in SNAP benefits.

“We’re in the midst of economic challenges, so there may be more people who need help than normally do,” he said. “I know that during the pandemic, one Thanksgiving, we helped more than 1,000 people because of what was going on. I’m getting the feeling we might be getting to that level again.”

To help fund those giveaways, the church is holding a charity basketball tournament at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Alma Grace McDonough Center at Wheeling University. All proceeds from that game will go toward those giveaways.

Organizations from Ohio and West Virginia are chipping in to help. All those folks could use an assist from the Ohio Valley community.

If you have an opportunity, buy a ticket and have a fun evening at the basketball court. That decision would help make sure that Bethlehem Apostolic Temple can continue its mission of helping make for good holidays.