With one week to go, it's time to talk turkey.
Organizers of the 20th annual No Hunger Holiday want as many turkeys as they can get before their Thanksgiving food distribution on Nov. 23.
John Callahan, the man in charge of rounding up turkeys and other food, said it is more economical for the public to donate turkeys than for No Hunger Holiday organizers to buy the birds wholesale.
Grocery stores sell turkeys as a loss leader, pricing them well below their wholesale cost, he said. Stores make up for the loss through all the other Thanksgiving food customers purchase to serve alongside the turkeys.
But Callahan cannot buy thousands of turkeys from grocery stores, he said. He would have to purchase the birds through wholesale distributors at a cost that could be three times higher. Callahan asked the public to help the program by purchasing an extra 10- to 12-pound bird while they do their Thanksgiving shopping, then donating the birds to the No Hunger Holiday.
Kevin Smith, spokesman for No Hunger Holiday, said turkeys are the program's biggest expense. He said it made more sense for the program to use its available cash to purchase corn, green beans, milk, pies and other products it can buy at wholesale prices cheaper than at grocery stores.
Donors can drop off turkeys this weekend at Cottleville Knights of Columbus Hall, 5701 Highway N. No Hunger Holiday organizers will also visit area churches Sunday to collect extra turkeys. For more information on donating cash or turkeys, visit www.nohungerholiday.com.
On Nov. 23, volunteers will meet at the Knights of Columbus Hall to fill boxes with turkeys and everything needed for a Thanksgiving dinner, including vegetables, stuffing and dessert.
Agencies that assist low-income families will send representatives to pick up the boxes later that day. The agencies determine who receives the boxes and how they are distributed to families. Each agency pays $4 per box, up to the total number of boxes they received last year. For every box over last year's total, the agency pays $8.
Smith said the program will distribute dinners to at least 1,600 families this year, up from 1,450 last year. Smith attributed the increase to the bad economy.
No Hunger Holiday began in 1990, feeding 120 families. Most were clients of Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service in St. Peters. The program fed 950 families in 1993, many of them displaced by that year's historic flood. The program has fed more than 10,000 families and 50,000 people since its inception.
Smith said organizers had mixed feelings about the 20th anniversary.
"We are happy that, 20 years later, we are still providing food," he said. "But all of us would prefer that there would not be a need for it."
Vicki Houska runs a St. Charles food pantry for families with foster and adopted children. Her organization, the Foster Adoption Support Team, will receive dinners for 59 families through No Hunger Holiday, up from 37 last year. Houska said her organization is paying $324 total. If she had to purchase the food from a grocery store, the cost would be at least $30 per family, she said. Houska called it "an extremely good deal."
"Holidays are tough times for children in foster care," she said. "We want to pass along the warmth of Thanksgiving to our foster families, to help relieve some stress. Thanksgiving is such a special family tradition. It is not about presents or religion. It is just about being thankful."
