Community helps food bank fight turkey shortage
Donors stepped up Monday and Tuesday to help alleviate the Thurston County Food Bank’s turkey shortage for its annual Thanksgiving food baskets.
Nearly 4,000 households have registered for a free basket — about 800 more than last year. The Olympian reported this week that the food bank was scrambling for more turkeys and had bought whole chickens to ensure each basket had a bird.
Robert Coit, executive director of the food bank, said the newspaper’s story prompted people to donate about 160 turkeys, along with cash to buy more. He also has fielded several phone calls from people asking how to help.
“The community is really responding,” he said Tuesday, noting that another holiday is just around the corner. “We’ll see what Christmas brings.”
Each basket comes with all the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner. About 2,800 households received a basket Monday with an estimated 1,200 more households left to serve this week.
The food bank, at 220 Thurston Ave. NE, will be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday, but will be closed Thursday and Friday.
How to help
To learn more, email frontdesk@thurstoncountyfoodbank.org or call 360-352-8597.
This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Community helps food bank fight turkey shortage."