Center for Hope in Ambridge provides a lifeline for those in need: "This was the place to be."

Thanksgiving is just two weeks from tomorrow, and many of us are already starting to stock up on stuff for the holiday.

But there are thousands of our neighbors who cannot do that. At least not without the help of local food pantries and the KDKA Turkey Fund.

Viola Wilson of Ambridge is one of them.

She says she's always lived on a budget, but this year?

"This year in particular, the prices have gone up so much that where I used to maybe get through two-thirds of the month, I barely get through the first third of the month. There's no leeway. I used to be able to stock up a little bit. I'm lucky if I can get the one thing, and I have to make it last," Wilson said.

The retired grandmother is raising her 14-year-old granddaughter on a fixed income.

"The utilities have gone up," Wilson said. "They're very, very high. The gas has gone up. The groceries. To buy a package of hamburger is $18! It's very, very tight. It's hard."

She says she wouldn't make it without the Center for Hope in Ambridge.

"The things that I get from here are all of the things I cannot afford to get. I can't afford pretty much any of this stuff," said Wilson.

Crystal Cain also relies on the Center for Hope for her family.

"We needed a lot of food assistance at one point, and this was the place to be," Cain said.

She started going there about 15 years ago and eventually decided to volunteer as a way to give back.

"They give so much, and you want to give back because you just feel like you can't take and take and take, you know? You want to give back," Cain said.

That volunteering then led to a job there.

"It's like a little journey that I've been going through with the Center for Hope," said Cain.

Sue Otto, the Center's executive director, says she's never seen the need greater than it's been this year.

"It's off the charts. We're at our highest numbers ever. Last month we had more than 1,200 different individuals that we fed who came through that door more than 3,000 cumulative times to get food. It's off the charts," said Otto.

While Center for Hope has all the items you'd find at a regular grocery store, Otto says it provides so much more than that for the community.

"We like to have food pantry children in a youth group and give them opportunities to get off the streets and stay safe," Otto said. "We teach them how to start a business as young as 6 or 7 years old. They have a 'Shark Tank,' and they earn money in 'Shark Tank.' They learn about healthy snacks. They do art projects. We have a 'Bridging the Gap' program where seniors sit down with little kids and have dinner together and talk. It's amazing. It's absolutely amazing."

Neighbors who come here are also eligible to receive a gift card from the KDKA Turkey Fund.

"It's like you're handing somebody gold. They're so thrilled. It's beyond words. It really is. It's a big deal. It's a big deal," said Otto.

Wilson and Cain say they couldn't be more grateful.

"It's amazing. To see that there's a need and for people to be selfless and try to fulfill that need, it's amazing. And I don't know personally what I would do without that. To be able to go and get that turkey, that's one less thing that you have to worry about on your mind as a parent. So, I think that it is awesome that everyone donates to keep that going because it will affect a lot of families if we didn't have that program," said Cain.

"There aren't enough words to say thank you," Wilson added. 

Here's how you can donate to the KDKA Turkey Fund.

You can go to any PNC Bank. If you donate in person, they'll match all donations, up to $100,000.

You can donate online at kdkaturkeyfund.com.

You can text "kdturkey" to 50155.

Or you can mail a check to P.O. Box Thanks, Pittsburgh, PA 15230.

From all of us at KDKA-TV, thank you!