Turkey Drive raises $20,000 in two weeks

The 14th annual Turkey Drive tour came to a close Saturday with a stopover at Golden Valley Auto Body of Yuba City, where numerous organizations and volunteers continued working to help bring a Thanksgiving meal to everyone in need in the community.

“At Thanksgiving people want something extra special so we should give them a turkey,” said Yuba-sutterColusa United Way Executive Director

Bob Harlan.

Harlan, the drive’s principal organizer, said the cash, 184 turkeys and six hams, donated on Saturday alone, brought the cash total to about $20,000 and nearly 500 turkeys during the 10 drive locations through November.

He said in the first hour on Saturday United Way

received 75 turkeys, along with $400.

“We’re taking what we brought in (to) help get to those in need for Thanksgiving,” Harlan said. “A hundred percent of the money and food all go to help people in our community.”

There’s a lot of work involved, not to mention networking among businesses and nonprofit organizations in order

to meet the goals of the turkey drive each year.

Ali Nooteboom, business development executive with Golden Valley Auto Body, said she works with many businesses and organizations throughout the month to bring in needed donations for the community.

“This year more people were in need -- more families, and turkeys were limited,” Nooteboom said.

Cash donations, Nooteboom said, were the preferred method, to allow United Way to buy the turkeys and deliver them to the community.

Harlan said 17 nonprofits and churches were involved in the monthlong drive, as well as the 24 food pantries and YubaSutter Food Bank.