Catholic Charities of Broome County holds 20th annual Thanks-4-Giving turkey drive
By Deacon Tom Picciano
Contributing writer
The last couple of months have not been easy for many who rely on governmentv assistance to put food on the table. A temporary cutoff of benefits has sent many for increased help from a variety of sources.
On Nov. 13, Catholic Charities of Broome County (CCOB) announced its effort to provide for the upcoming holiday with the Thanks-4-Giving turkey drive. Tonya Brown, Catholic Charities of Broome County executive director, said this is the 20th year of the food drive.
Brown said the program will serve about 3,000 families. Another thousand families will be served with donations to other community programs.
CCOB is seeking turkeys and other food in advance of Thanksgiving to provide for those in need. The collection site is at Walmart in Vestal through Friday, Nov. 21.
Law enforcement and other first responders are a big part of the effort this year and will provide donations. “We’d like to expand that to the entire community. The need is higher this year than ever before for turkeys and non-perishable foods,” said Johnson City Police Chief Brent Dodge. “We’d like to urge the community to partner with us, step up and give what they can to help make everyone’s Thanksgiving a little bit better.”
Broome County District Attorney Paul Battisti said he loves how people in the county come together in times of crisis. “Thank you for what you have done, and thank you for what this community will continue to do.” Battisti said.
“We need to ensure that everybody has that meal that they can expect on Thanksgiving,” he added.
The Thanks-4-Giving Food Drive also has the support of other community organizations, including Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield and a local radio station, Mix 103.3.
Lori MC from the radio station said she’s helped with the Catholic Charities Thanksgiving drive for many years. “We get families that give. The next year, they struggle, they come back, they get the help, and then when they get back on their feet, they’re able to give again,” Lori said.
“Anything you could do would be fantastic,” she added, “Sometimes families struggle and they don’t know where to go for help. And Catholic Charities has been instrumental in helping these families.”
For more information on the Thanks-4-Giving food drive, visit [email protected] or call (607) 729-9166.
