Some Triangle families will be receiving a Turkey Day surprise this year thanks to area nonprofits. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (IFFS) held our annual "Turkey Takeout" event this morning to distribute turkeys and all the fixings to local agencies who will then distribute them to families they serve. “When we called one of our patients to tell her she had been selected to receive the turkey dinner, she broke down and cried,” said William Massengill, CEO for Benson Medical Center. Massengill’s community health center is one
of 15 agencies serving low-income families selected to participate in the free turkey giveaway.
“We asked our physicians to identify the 17 patients most in need of fresh, healthy food. These families are the poorest of the poor. They were not going to have Thanksgiving if it weren’t for this event.”
IFFS holds a fresh food Mobile Market every month at the medical center. The center’s physicians write a “prescription” for fresh produce for their patients most in need, which they then use at the monthly market to shop for free.
At this year's Turkey Takeout, over 30 volunteers helped load vehicles from 15 area agencies full of turkeys and veggies from US Foods, collard greens gleaned by IFFS volunteers at Burch Brothers farm, cabbage and apples from Ford's Produce, sweet potatoes from FarmPak, and rice and pies from other IFFS local donors - all for the families they serve. Thanks to these generous folks, 250 more families will now be able to have a Thanksgiving meal.
Looking for a way you can help? Here's a list of more ways to help families in need this holiday season.