The PEACE Center, a ministry of Capital Christian Center, will be giving away over 350 food boxes that are filled with a turkey with all the fixings and a pie to make a bounteous meal for local families. The drive-through event takes place on Saturday, November 22, 2025. Mission Pastors Ed and Laura White co-direct the PEACE Center and have been gearing up for this big event.
Free Thanksgiving Dinner in Olympia
“People can start lining up at 9:30 a.m. and food distribution starts at 10 a.m. and will end when all the food is given away. While they are waiting, there will be pie and Starbucks coffee,” says Ed. The limited number of tickets will be given out as people arrive, so they are assured a box. 125 volunteers are involved in this huge undertaking.
Originally, plans were made to accommodate 350 boxes. Recently, the PEACE Center was approached by an officer from Fort Lewis who reported that there were 30 people in his unit in need of food. The Center secured additional funding for all these people. This takes the total number of boxes closer to 400. The bulk of funds and goods for this event have been donated from people attending the Capital Christian Center.
PEACE Center Food Pantry Helps Local Families
The PEACE Center operates a food pantry with shelf-stable items, dairy products, fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and plenty of familiar snacks. It serves individuals and families. Visitors may get food and learn about connecting with other resources in the community. They also offer prayers. The PEACE Center’s three objectives are to connect people with God, other people and resources. “We are in charge of missions, global and local ministries,” explains Ed. The couple, active for decades, has been working with the PEACE Center for the past year.
“We have been seeing a whole different clientele. There are military and federal workers,” says Ed. People now coming in have never been in such need before. Many have jobs and are still challenged to put enough food on their tables.
“We are small,” share Laura. “We serve five to 11 families per day. We listen, we meet and pray for them.”
People can make appointments, and there is limited availability for walk-ins. The PEACE Center is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thurston County Food Donations Needed
You are invited to drop off any of these most request items during open hours:
- Chili
- Spaghetti/Sauce
- Instant Oatmeal packets
- Cup of Noodles
- Mac & Cheese (box or single serve)
- Peanut butter/Jelly
- Canned Tuna/Chicken
- Hearty canned soup (not concentrate)
- Applesauce cups
- Boxed Dinners (such as Hamburger Helper)
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Butter
- Pancake mix/Syrup
- Crackers
- Canned Fruit
- Ground Beef
- Sugar
- Hygiene products (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, razors)
“We have Thanksgiving food, but not so much else,” shares Ed. “If you bring a bag of food, it will be used.” The PEACE Center can also accept financial donations. The organization is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, so donations are tax deductible.
Christmas Needs of Community Families
The PEACE Center team, with help from the church family, plans to serve 100 families including over 350 children of all ages, through the annual Christmas Store. Parents get to shop for each of their children and enjoy a cup of coffee or cocoa in the process. Gifts will even be wrapped. This will take place December 18, 19 and 20, 2025, by appointment. The church has a big Giving Tree, which supplies the store. “We take donations for this, too,” adds Laura.
The PEACE Center Works Locally and Globally
The PEACE Center is an acronym created to address five global issues: Poverty, Emptiness, Leadership (lack of), Illness (and disease) and Education (illiteracy). It targets issues such as spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership and poverty. The plan was developed to provide a framework for churches to address global social challenges through community-based service and partnership with local churches.
The acronym also corresponds solutions and the actions to address them:
Promote Reconciliation to address the giant of spiritual emptiness with drug and alcohol programs, small groups for grief, marriage, human trafficking and others.
Equip servant leaders to help turn leadership from being egocentric and selfish by providing leadership training and coaching.
Assist the poor to fight against extreme poverty through food programs, life skills classes, job support and training, community programs and other resources.
Care for the sick to fight against illness and disease by providing nutrition and cooking classes, medical care, hygiene classes, and hospitals.
Educate the next generation to fight illiteracy by providing tutoring, education, books and learning materials, and schools.
The local PEACE Center supports this vision with direct assistance to those in need in our community. Anytime is a good time to share your abundance, and even more so through the holiday season.
The PEACE Center
4443 Martin Way E. Olympia
360.456.1140
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