Turkey donations falling short
Mary Ann Burlingame, a volunteer with the University of Vermont waves at traffic on the corner of North Winooski Ave and North Union St. in front of the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, this year donations have been drastically reduced, at this time last year the number of donations was nearly double what they are this year, Wednesday, November 16, 2011. / IAN THOMAS JANSEN-LONNQUIST, for the Free Press
Written by
Courtney Jordan, Free Press Staff Writer
Turkey donations for the needy lag significantly behind last year’s pace, the Chittenden County Food Shelf says. Executive Director Rob Meehan has tallied 709 donated turkeys for Thanksgiving, about half of what the food shelf normally has collected by this time. The food shelf aims to collect 2,700 turkeys to be given away on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, just six days from now. Last year, that goal was surpassed with more than 3,000 turkey donations.
The decline in donations is not indicative of the community’s generosity, Meehan said.“What we are seeing is the result of the economy,” he said. “People are giving a lot to a lot of things.” The food shelf has also experienced a dip in monetary donations, he said. The holiday season typically raises about 30 percent of the food shelf’s annual $1 million operating budget. The food shelf serves more than 12,000 people each year, Meehan said. Come Wednesday, the turkeys will be handed out on a first-come, firstserved basis. The food shelf will purchase additional turkeys, if donations fall short, Meehan said. “We’ve never turned anyone away, and that’s not something we plan to do,” he said. The holidays will be a hurdle for the food shelf, but supplying its visitors afterward is another problem, Meehan said.“We are trying to get the fixings for the holiday meals, but we’re also trying to get the staple foods like peanut butter, tuna fish, cereals, pastas,” he said. “These are the things people need just to get by.” The food shelf operates with approximately 1,000 volunteers and 1 million pounds of donated food throughout the year. In order to increase donations, Meehan said the food shelf will have to be “more innovative.” “This is just dramatically different, and we’re just scratching our heads wondering what’s going on,” Meehan said. The food shelf will accept turkey donations right up until Thanksgiving day. “It’s really hard right now,” he said. “A big part of what we’re trying to do is make sure that a family that is experiencing really hard times can gather during that holiday time. If a family can’t have that opportunity, I think it works against us as a community.” The food shelf also holds a Thanksgiving dinner from noon to 2 p.m. the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Last year, between 300 and 400 people were in attendance.
