Foster Farms Donates 8,000 Pounds of Turkey Just in Time for Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving around the corner, the San Diego Food Bank received a generous donation of more than 8,000 pounds of frozen turkey on Tuesday, November 15, from Foster Farms, a family-owned, countrywide poultry company.The holidays are usually a time for celebration, yet due to record food price inflation, the Food Bank is facing procurement costs rising 50%+ for foods on the wholesale food market, including frozen turkeys. That's a huge increase when demand for turkeys is at its peak.Foster Farm's generous donation could not have come at a better time, allowing more than 10,000 San Diegans to sit down for a special Thanksgiving meal with their loved ones as part of a West Coast initiative that will feed over 80,000 people in California, Oregon, and Washington with fresh, all-natural poultry. Already, the turkey has been allocated to some of the Food Bank's nonprofit partners, including Ministerio Tiempo Nuevo, Hearts and Hands Working Together, and the Samoa Independent Full Gospel.

As the Foster Farm truck arrived, the Food Bank's Interim CEO, Casey Castillo, said "We'd like to thank Foster Farms for their very timely and generous donation of turkeys…We could not do this work without our great partners and our volunteers. We would not be able to serve 550,000 people per month. Thank you to everyone for supporting our mission."

As the truck pulled into the loading bay, Castillo asked, "So are we ready?"[caption id="attachment_18695" align="alignright" width="473"]

A huge thank you to the Kaiser Permanente team for their support throughout the day. We couldn't do it without you![/caption]"Yes!" the crowd responded."Let's unload some turkeys."Volunteers from Kaiser Permanente, who had been packing produce earlier in the day, passed the turkeys from the truck bed to loading bins. One volunteer talked about her experience."I feel really good, because we're doing something for the good of the community and giving back," she said. When asked if she had plans for Thanksgiving, she smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, actually, being with family after being away from them because of COVID. Just seeing how things are, you know."This holiday season, as we gather to celebrate and give thanks, the Food Bank is calling on community members to join Foster Farms and donate frozen turkeys, nonperishable foods, or make a monetary gift online to help the San Diego Food Bank feed families in need. Just $1 can make a world of difference, providing five meals for San Diegans facing food insecurity.On behalf of the San Diego Food Bank, our North County Food Bank chapter, and the San Diegans we serve, thank you, Foster Farms. Your donation will provide hope for many local families, letting them know that our community is here to help.********************************If you or someone you know is facing hunger this holiday season and could use some support in accessing free fresh nutritious food, please use our GPS Food Locator Map to type in a home address to find a food distribution or pantry near you.