Good evening and thanks for joining us, I'm Nicole Winters.No matter hGood evening and thanks for joining us, I'm Nicole Winters.No matter how big or small your family gatherings... supplying the food during holiday events can be expensive...And this year the struggling economy isn't making it any easier.Fox Mankato's Carly Aplin tells us how the Mankato community is stepping up to help families in need.Evan Hedwall says, "It's always nice when you have a warm meal on the table..."And organizations throughout Mankato are doing their part to make sure families have a warm Thanksgiving meal...Samantha Eckerson says, "We have seen a lot more people wanting to have this..."Minnesota State University's Campus Kitchen is serving over 300 families this year who signed up to be part of their annual TurkeyPalooza...Samantha Eckerson says, "It's to provide a Thanksgiving meal or a turkey dinner to our clients over the long holiday break and make sure all our kids are being fed."Volunteers are hoping community members will step up and donate 50 dollars to help sponsor a family... that family will receive a turkey dinner with all the trimmings...Evan Hedwall says, "That's a little bit for some people, but it helps us out a lot."Carly Aplin says, "There are many opportunities for families in need to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal this Thursday... but the need doesn't stop after the holidays, and these organizations are prepared to help people year round.""Whether it's during the holiday season or in the summer we always see a lot of people requesting food."MSU's Campus Kitchen also works with the ECHO food shelf throughout the year...Both organizations have regular clients who depend on their service every week.Samantha Eckerson says, "I have one family that's been with me for so long they're like you have no idea how much this helps."This Thanksgiving ECHO had 815 households sign up to receive Thanksgiving meals, which is actually less than they expected, but the everyday need for food is only continuing to increase."We are seeing some of our donors coming down here and becoming our clients."And as long the economy continues to struggle ... the demand for food will always be great... and it's good to know the Mankato community is willing to help out."It's not just about donating money, it's not just about donating food, it's also about donating your time and that's something I see in our community."In Mankato, Carly Aplin, the Fox Mankato News at Nine.TurkeyPalooza officially starts tomorrow when students and volunteers start cooking over three hundred meals... On Wednesday they will deliver them to the families.And for more information on either of these organizations, we have set up a link on our website, just go to keyc dot tv and click on featured links.