Turkeys come to those who wait
Siobhan Gallagher wants to fix a full Christmas dinner for herself and her two roommates, both students from China. But her budget won’t let her.
“ I’m a student,” said Gallagher, who attends George Brown College. “ I probably wouldn’t get a turkey. There’s no way.” So yesterday morning, she headed out in the Christmaslike weather to Honest Ed’s, where for the 18th straight year store staff handed out free turkeys and fruitcake.
Russell Lazar, the discount department store’s general manager, said when owner Ed Mirvish held his first turkey day, he charged 5 cents a bird, then dropped the fee the next year.
“ We were making too much profit,” Lazar joked.
Acting Police Chief Jane Dick, Maple Leafs mascot Carlton the Bear and Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone joined Lazar and David Mirvish, Ed’s son, on the store’s top floor, handing out food to grateful patrons.
“ It’s a Toronto tradition which feeds Torontonians who might not otherwise have a turkey,” Pantalone said. Some people began lining up Saturday afternoon, and by yesterday the line stretched around the block from the store’s Bloor St. W. entrance.
People in line chatted in various languages, and as they snaked through the store a man played Christmas carols on a steel drum.
Upstairs they were greeted with a shopping bag, a 4.5- kilogram turkey and a fruitcake. Tim Thomas said he waited in line for three hours.
“ I love turkey and ( the giveaway) helps my friends who have big families,” he said. “ I give them the turkey and they give me lunch.” Doors to the store opened at 10 a. m., and it took only 63 minutes to hand out all 1,200 turkeys. The woman who received the last bird cracked a wide smile, then hurried to the closest exit, while a few hundred disappointed people realized there would be no reward for their long wait.
Lazar said he might expand the giveaway next year. “ Why not?” he said. “ We like giving away Mr. Mirvish’s money.”