Community comes together to provide Thanksgiving dinner for Calhoun County Jail inmates

PITTSBORO, Miss. (WCBI) – For the first time, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department has asked members of the community to help them provide a Thanksgiving meal for the inmates in their jail.

“The Holiday season can bring on sad times for some people,” says Sheriff Greg Pollan. “And if you’re locked up back here, behind this wall, it can be a long day.”

Sheriff Greg Pollan posted on Facebook on Saturday asking people if they could contribute enough food for 50 inmates.

“A church group or civic organization or whatever the case may be,” he says. “And to say that the response has been positive would be an understatement.”

The sheriff says he’s had 30 to 40 people reach out offering to donate food. But one stands out from the rest.

“A lady from Bruce reach out to me with United Outreach,” Sheriff Pollan says. “Her and her organization are going to actually provide a full, traditional Thanksgiving meal for all the inmates.”

United Outreach Grill is a local non-profit that provides affordable meals for those in need.

“The inmates would probably feel good to have a good hot meal on Thanksgiving since they can’t be with their families,” says Ella Stovall, whose son Catlin Kelly is one of the owners.

Partnering with Calhoun and Yalobusha Outreach, Stovall says they will cook up a full spread and deliver it to the jail on Thursday.

“Fried chicken, greens, pinto or green beans, chicken dressing, candied yams, deviled eggs, tea and a dessert,” she said, listing the food they will prepare.

Sheriff Pollan says he would like to make this a new tradition and has already had someone ask if they will be doing this again at Christmas.

“I know I will be with my family Thursday,” he says. “And I would like to know that if the shoe were on the other foot, that someone would provide for my family if they were here.”

Anyone who would like to donate more food can call the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department at 662-412-5000.