U.S. Food Banks Struggling With Holiday Turkey Shortage
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Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Last year, the River Valley Regional Food Bank donated 2,000 to 4,000 turkeys to families in need.
This Thanksgiving, the Fort Smith, Ark., site has a little more than 200 turkeys.
“Normally, we have very generous food manufacturers that donate to us,” said Ken Kupchick, the Feeding America food bank’s marketing and development director. “You name it. We are supported by major food producers. Donations are there. … It’s just not here this Thanksgiving.”
Paula Thornton Greear, spokeswoman for Feeding America, said the turkey shortage was being felt by the group’s 200 food banks across the U.S.
The 200 or so turkeys the Fort Smith food bank will give away came from Wal-Mart. Kupchick said half would go to disabled veterans and their families and the rest would be handed out to families of four and more during a church event this weekend.
The food bank has 170 pantries assisting 12,000 families in need including 25,000 children classified as “food insecure” and close to the same number of residents 50 and older.
Kupchick said the food bank had searched high and low for holiday birds.
He said a Pennsylvania seller had offered turkeys with missing parts for 93 cents a pound, but the cost of the birds plus transportation would have reached $45,000. The food bank asked other food banks to split the deal, but got no takers.
“We had to let it go,” he said.
Kupchick told ABC News that the situation was more stressful because Whirlpool, a major local employer, had announced an early 2012 closing of its manufacturing plant, putting residents on edge.
“To see the faces of the unemployed is very disturbing,” he said. “We’re in for a long haul.”
Greear reminded Americans that the need for food assistance wasn’t only a holiday problem.
“Feeding America network food banks continue to report significant increases in the number of people seeking assistance,” she said via email. “Nearly 49 million men, women and children worry about the source of their next meal.”
If you would like to donate money to help those in need of food there are several ways:
Donate to the Fort Smith food bank here and to Feeding America here.
You can also make a food donation to your local food pantry. For a list of food pantries in your area, click here.
Donations can also be sent to: P.O. Box 4069, Fort Smith, AR 72914
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tofu is good. turkeys will thank you.
Posted by: amy | November 17, 2011, 7:56 pm 7:56 pm
Tofu is a terrible source of nutrient and can cause cancer in both men and women because of the estrogen content. People need to eat meat to be healthy.
Posted by: Mahna Mahna | November 17, 2011, 8:22 pm 8:22 pm
Actually, if you are a meat eater you have a higher risk of obtaining EVERY single degenerative disease. That is a scientific fact. Vegetarians live on average 7 years longer than omnivores.
Posted by: Lucy Goosey | November 17, 2011, 9:25 pm 9:25 pm
Record profits and they cut salaries and can’t donate like they used to. So much for the republican way.
Posted by: lexingtonlady | November 17, 2011, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
What are you talking about, Lady? This is the Republican way. They want you to go out and shoot your own turkey!
Posted by: WorkingClass | November 17, 2011, 9:34 pm 9:34 pm
Directed at the ladies debating tofu vs turkey- everyone is different. If you want the healthiest option, have a diet suited to your body type. Some people do better with no meat, while others need it to be healthy. A small example- redheads produce more vitamin d and their bodies tend to retain more heat when compared to other hair types. It all narrows down to how your body is programmed to function. Genetics and family history play a vital role in your health.
Posted by: Jenny | November 17, 2011, 9:54 pm 9:54 pm
“Record profits and they cut salaries and can’t donate like they used to. So much for the republican way.”…………… Strange… I did not know republicans owned all the businesses in the country. Nancy Palosi made 62% more last year than she did the year before… Let’s see, her net-worth is 50 million plus (estimated over 100 million)… Obama’s net worth is 10.5 million and made over 1 million last year NOT counting his “measely” Presidential salary. Now.. I can’t only pick on Dems, because I don’t like either. I think both sides are full of low-lifes, cheats and theives… the problem with the people in the US is we keep our party blinders on and think that the other team are the only ones that does wrong and our team can only do right. As long we keep those blinders on, and spend all our time pointing fingers, we will get no where and the low-lifes will continue to rob us blind. Yea.. continue to blame the other team….. when yours not doing much better.
Posted by: anotherday | November 17, 2011, 10:24 pm 10:24 pm
Nobody has stuff to give away. I’m going chicken this year. Don’t like turkey much.
Posted by: greg | November 18, 2011, 12:35 am 12:35 am
All the turkeys should go to the Veterans. They have sacrificed the most and deserve the best!
Posted by: Dave | November 18, 2011, 1:37 am 1:37 am
Oh no!!!! The DEADBEATS that voted for Barry aren’t going to get their FREE 5-course Thanksgiving Dinner??? What a tragedy!! LOL
There’ll be some turkey scraps in MY garbage can on Friday… some of them can “feast” then, as long as they don’t go fighting over the giblets and cause a ruckus.
Posted by: End_ofan_Error | November 18, 2011, 4:21 am 4:21 am
END_OFAN_ERROR: I hope you remember your own words when all your rich crony friends have abandoned you because they have stolen yours and the best you can do for Thanksgiving is a can of Friskies. Sometimes your words come back to bite you in the butt. Humble yourself.
Posted by: howdymo1 | November 18, 2011, 4:52 am 4:52 am
howdymo1 – As I have for all 56 years of my life, I have big ol’ bird all buttered up, ready for the oven on Thursday, along with all the trimmings. I’ve never anything but, and I’ll never HAVE anything but. Of course, I work for a living, and therefore I support the other 47% f Americans that pay NOTHING, but nonetheless expect everything that I have worked hard to obtain.
They can eat DIRT, for all I care.
Posted by: end_ofan_Error | November 18, 2011, 5:10 am 5:10 am
I am so happy for you, and I also have been fortunate enough to have not needed to ask for help. I am recently retired and I volunteer for a food pantry. I am here to tell you that some of the people that come in asking for food and help are very well off and don’t need the help. They are the ones that are looking for a handout. We have one lady that comes in that all 10 fingers are dripping in diamonds and she has a brand new Cadillac Escalade. Before you say it, she isn’t a drug dealer. She is just RICH AND CHEAP. All we require is proof that they have no income. Somehow she has been able to do that. Things like this infuriate me to no end. This woman is taking food away from some other person who really needs it. This is how the rich and powerful operate. Simple: Trailer trash makes good.
Posted by: howdymo1 | November 18, 2011, 5:49 am 5:49 am
i just re read the constitution of the United States, and no where in there is a turkey dinner listed as a enumerated right.
What an entitlement mentality America has gotten itself into. you are not entitled to ANYTHING. I get that some people need help, on the other hand having volunteered at a food bank a few times, if it cant be boiled by whomever they dont want it anyway.
heaven forbid that someone be required to pull themselves away from oprah to actuall…gasp…cook
Posted by: anduin | November 20, 2011, 1:00 pm 1:00 pm