Group sets Thanksgiving-themed health event

A metro-area faithbased organization is offering a different kind of Thanksgiving dinner this holiday.

A Table in the Wilderness will host a “Community PlantBased Thanksgiving” from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 17 at the National Women in Agriculture Association's building at 1701 N Martin Luther King Ave. The event is free and currently full. However, Laurel Mauldin, one of the event organizers, said people may have their names added to a waiting list because the organization hopes to add more attendees.

Mauldin, acting vice president for A Table in the Wilderness, said she and her father started the organization three years ago to provide healthy spiritual and physical food to those who need it. She said she began seriously seeking healthy recipes and cooking techniques after her dad had a heart attack. Mauldin said she wanted to offer him some healthy food alternatives and looked for Bible-based motivation for them both to adapt a healthier lifestyle. A Table in the Wildnerness was an offshoot of their eventual adoption of healthier eating and cooking methods.

The Choctaw resident said the nonprofit offers healthy cooking classes at a local library and has plans to roll out a health education class called “Diabetes Undone” in January 2020. She said the organization had a booth at an Open Streets OKC event and found that people enjoyed samples of “egg-less salad.”

“All these things the Lord has impressed upon our hearts to do,” Mauldin said.

Mauldin, a member of Oklahoma International Seventh-Day Adventist Church, said the organization is rooted in Scripture, including the verse in 2 Corinthians 6:19 that says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”

Mauldin said A Table in the Wilderness is particularly trying to reach out to northeast Oklahoma City residents because there are areas there that have been identified as food deserts, communities that lack access to healthy foods. She said the organization also sees a need for education about healthy food options because many Oklahomans are overweight or obese and have health problems related to diabetes and heart disease.

“Nobody really wants to be sick,” Mauldin said. “These diseases are really taking people out in Oklahoma. We would like to help prevent these types of diseases.”

Attendees at the coming Thanks givingthemed event will be treated to plant-based food items that Mauldin said are different from the typical holiday fare but no less delicious. Mauldin said she's hoping people sample the alternative Thanksgiving fare and consider switching to a plant-based diet or at least eating more plantbased foods and fewer animal products.

The event will include food tastings, music and a short health lecture.