Operation Turkey Prepares To Deliver 75,000 meals For Thanksgiving!
Hello All!
For those of you who followed us last year at this time, you remember our wonderful experience serving with Operation Turkey here in Fayetteville NC. We met Venassia Gunter, head of the Fayetteville branch of the non profit Operation Turkey for the first time along with many big hearted volunteers and organizations who wanted to be a part of this Thanksgiving tradition. Well this year we had a chance to team up with Venassia on several other community projects and even sit down to discuss this years big event! Check out our exclusive interview below, followed by the press release for this years event.
1. How did you become a part of Operation Turkey? Working as an Family Readiness Support Assistant for the Army on Fort Bragg. I find myself reaching out for new resources to help Military Families and came across Brian Tolbert the Director of Operation Turkey. His positivity and passion to help mad me want to do the same in my own community.
2. Where & When did Operation Turkey begin?
Our history dates back to the year 2000 when Richard Bagdonas had just finished his own Thanksgiving dinner with friends. Full from his delicious meal, he did what many of us do, plate the leftovers. While driving home, he decided that the extra food could benefit someone more…
“That Thanksgiving, I drove downtown to 6th Street on my way home and handed out a plate of food to a homeless man in a wheelchair. He couldn’t thank me because he was mentally challenged, but the homeless guy next to him said ‘thank you’ and helped feed the meal to the man. Afterwards I sat in my car and cried, and I knew I wanted to do something about it.”
3. When did Operation Turkey Fayetteville begin? We began in 2015 with 500 meals and in two weeks it went up to 2000 meals now we are at 10,000 meals.
4. What inspires you to do what you do in the community? My children inspire me to want to make things better in our community.
5. What is the best part about Operation Turkey? Meeting new people and working together as a community. Being able to work together with my Family and be grateful for the things we have and able to share the love and joy with others.
6. What’s new for Operation Turkey Fayetteville this year? The newest things are we are developing partnerships and new friendships with other organization with the same instincts to support our community together.
The partnership with the Salvation Army, Second Harvest Food Bank, Hoke County Open Door Soup Kitchen and Grifton Missionary Ministry’s is a blessing to our community. The unity to support our community with the same love and passion.
7. What’s next for you? What has this experience inspired you to do? For me it doesn’t get any better then knowing you have a purpose in life and a gift to support others. And I do it with my Family. Anyone can be a paycheck from being with out or homeless.
It’s that time of year again! Operation Turkey Fayetteville 2018 Tailgate!
Who: Operation Turkey Fayetteville : For Media Inquiries/ Interviews – The L3 Brand (678) 665-3526 Contact@L3Brand.com
What: Free Hot Thanksgiving meal for those In need
When: Thanksgiving Day, 22 November (8am to 12pm)
Where: Salvation Army, 245 Alexander Street, Fayetteville NC 28301
Why: To support the community, uniting to work together for the same purpose.
OPERATION TURKEY VOLUNTEERS PREPARE TO DELIVER 75,000 MEALS
FAYETTEVILLE, NC – November 14, 2018 – For the 18th year in a row, Operation Turkey is working hard to ensure the homeless and less fortunate receive a warm meal this Thanksgiving. Volunteers from Fayetteville, and surrounding communities including: Hope Mills, Raeford/Hoke County, Spring Lake, Maxton/Robeson County, will prepare, package and deliver 10,000 meals to anyone that simply visits the website www.operationturkey.com and fills out the Request a Meal form at the top of the page.
“Operation Turkey is honored to be part of a growing community of volunteers that assist the homeless and less fortunate,” said Brian Tolbert, Executive Director and Chairman of Operation Turkey. “Each year we expand, and this year we anticipate providing 75,000 meals across the nation on Thanksgiving Day. To help put that in perspective, that is more than 50,000 pounds of turkey, 20,000 pounds of stuffing, and 25,000 pounds of pumpkin pie.”
On Wednesday, November 21th, hundreds of volunteers will gather at The Salvation Army (245 Alexander St, Fayetteville, NC 28301) in Fayetteville to smoke more than 200 turkeys for serving on Thanksgiving Day. Volunteers will be accepting donations of nonperishable items, clothing and care package items, then sort them for staging at various distribution points throughout the city.
On Thursday, November 22nd, Thanksgiving Day, thousands of volunteers with prepare, package and deliver meals between the hours of 8am and noon. We need volunteers at all of our locations:
(See attached writeup for location information and details)
