Annual ‘Turkey Drive’ sets record
Each year for 14 years, the Yuba-sutterColusa United Way has teamed up with the three Results Radio stations in Yuba City and 10 local businesses, including major sponsor Golden Valley Auto Body, to conduct a turkey drive to provide holiday foods for people in need.
The past couple of years, the drive has collected about $12,000 and collected some 400 turkeys from the public, which provided holiday foods for up to 4,000 people.
This year broke that mold, as the two-week long event brought in $25,540 in cash in just two weeks, along with 581 donated turkeys and hams, which is estimated to have provided holiday meals for more than 6,000 people.
100% of the cash and food donated went to serve residents.
With those funds, YSC United Way purchased an additional 565 turkeys and 549 hams. In addition, a couple of local organizations
received gift cards to pass out to recipients in need, which they could spend on holiday foods.
“In a pandemic year, we didn’t know what to expect. However, we were pleased that the increased need brought the best out in our truly giving local residents!” said YubaSutter-colusa United Way Executive Director Bob Harlan. “With the per-pound price of turkeys and hams up significantly this year, and the supplies available reduced due to staffing cutbacks in meat processing plants, the additional monies allowed us to cover those costs and to provide
significantly more holiday foods than ever before,” Harlan said.
The turkey drive recipients included the massive Thanksgiving Day dinner event, which fed more than 1,500 residents in a combination of a drive-thru giveaway at Habitat for Humanity in Marysville and home delivery to nearly 900 homebound residents.
Twenty-two organizations receiving turkeys, hams and gift cards included: Bethel AME Church; Casa de Esperanza; Catholic Ladies Relief Society; Central Valley Homeless Veterans; Christian Assistance Network; Crossroads Community Church; First Presbyterian Church; Foothill Food Pantry; Harmony
Health; Marysville First United Methodist Church; Ministerial Association of Colusa; Olivehurst Seventh Day Adventist Church; So You Can; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; St. Vincent de Paul; Sutter Yuba Behavioral Health; The Salvation Army; Twin Cities Rescue Mission; Western Farmworkers Association; Yuba-sutter Food Bank; Yuba Sutter Veterans Stand Down; and American Addiction Treatment Services.
So what can we expect next year? “That’s a great question! While we hope the pandemic will be but a memory, we expect to see a still higher than normal demand. And, we’ll be ready to deliver what’s needed!” Harlan said.