Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams, second from right, joins officials and volunteers from the Desert Horizon Precinct of the Phoenix Police Department to deliver turkeys to St. Mary’s Food Bank on November 23, 2021. Mary’s Food Bank has achieved its goal of collecting 12,000 turkeys for families in need of dinner help on Thanksgiving thanks to a donation from the Phoenix Police Department.Offers from the department’s Desert Horizon Precinct and department volunteers held a week-long turkey ride after the table was up Called for help and delivered a truckload of nearly 1,150 turkeys on Tuesday, pushing St. Mary’s over its target, spokesman Jerry Brown said. The nonprofit distributed turkeys, Christmas boxes, products, and milk cartons to approximately 7,500 families in the first two days of distribution, and the donation will help feed more families on the final day of the event on Wednesday, Brown said help make sure every family has a turkey, ”he said. Mary’s sees fewer families than expected Mary’s saw long lines for the first two days of the distribution event, with the line stretching nearly two miles at the food bank’s Phoenix branch on Monday at the height of the rush, Brown said. But despite the long lines, Brown said St. Mary’s saw fewer people than expected. The nonprofit distributed more than 12,000 turkeys in the three days leading up to Thanksgiving last year and expected to serve more people this year. Officials and volunteers from the Phoenix Police Department’s Desert Horizon Precinct will deliver turkeys to St. Mary’s Food Bank on November 23 2021. Brown said rising inflation costs and increased gasoline, grocery and rent costs had weighed on families at risk in the past two months. St. Mary’s has seen an increase in the number of people coming to the table each day, he said. Marys distributed turkeys and other items to nearly 3,700 families on Monday and Tuesday at the Tafel’s two locations, slightly fewer than the 4,000 families expected each day and estimates that as many as 11,000 people will be cared for over the course of the event, said. Part of the reason could be that last year because of the pandemic, people gathered in smaller groups so more turkeys were needed, but they may be open to gather in larger groups this year, he said, “There’s no big one Difference between 11,000 and 12,000, “he said. How do I get a free turkey? Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The organization will be distributing turkeys in two locations: residents will be required to bring government-issued ID or a letter with their name and current address if the ID is not local. Food bank employees are loading groceries into the trunk of families’ cars because of the pandemic protocols. Republic reporter Steven Hernandez contributed to this story. Reach reporter Paulina Pineda at paulina.pineda@azcentral.com or 480-389-9637. Follow her on Twitter: @ paulinapineda22. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Police Helping St. Mary’s Reach the Thanksgiving Turkey Goal
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