WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Mark your calendars: the 4th annual WTXL Turkey Drive benefiting America's Second Harvest of the Big Bend is set for Nov. 16.
Last week, we took you to Tallahassee's HOPE Community, a place to stay for the homeless. Now WTXL is taking you to a Wakulla County food pantry where volunteers are making sure families have a Thanksgiving dinner.
The food pantry at the Crawfordville Methodist Church is a monthly stop for the Second Harvest's delivery truck.
"This is all free USDA food from Second Harvest," said Ginger Cooksey, the manager of the pantry. "Green beans, sweet potato, chicken broth, good for Thanksgiving."
Nearly 4,000 pounds of food gets dropped off each month. Food pantry manager Ginger Cooksey says that's enough to feed 100 Wakulla County families.
The need is even greater during the holidays. That's why more than a dozen of volunteers are gearing up for the mobile pantry the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Volunteers will pack up one of these wagons full of food here at the Crawfordville United Methodist Church. People who are gifted food from Second Harvest will get a brown bag full of the traditional Thanksgiving fixings and a blue bag full of food, and you can't forget the turkey. They're giving away more than 150 turkeys. this year.
"The night before it'll be quite the production," Cooksey explained. "We put 180 bags together with all the fixings." All of it donated through Second Harvest and the generosity of Cooksey's church family.
"We couldn't give away as many turkeys we're going to give away without Second Harvest," Cooksey said. "This time of year people need food. "We can feed all these people, do all this good in the community."
And Cooksey says it puts a smile on her face, knowing families in Wakulla County will be partaking in a Thanksgiving feast.
"It makes you feel good. It's a great thing to do. We say Thank you to Second Harvest," Cooksey said. "Thank you to all the people who give to Second Harvest."
Last year, many of you donated enough turkeys to feed people not only over Thanksgiving but for Christmas as well. Let's beat our record and help feed just one more family.
Find out more about WTXL Turkey Drive here.
