As the leaves begin to change and the crisp breeze of autumn fills the air, the Newmarket Food Pantry is gearing up for one of its most important times of the year.
With Thanksgiving almost here and Christmas around the corner, the pantry has begun collecting turkeys to ensure local families can celebrate the holidays with a tasty meal.
The turkey drive has been a staple of the food bank dating back to 2014, when Kirk Bowden reached out to friends and family to donate turkeys and it’s been growing ever since.
Adrian Bain, executive director of the Newmarket Food Pantry, says most importantly, it allows families to sit down together and share a meal that they may otherwise not be able to have.
“This event also brings our community together over a common interest — giving thanks by giving back,” he said. “Newmarket is known for being a very generous community and this turkey drive is a classic example. Our community goes above and beyond to ensure each one of our clients who needs a turkey dinner will have access to one.”
During the first turkey drive in 2014, the pantry donated 20 turkeys to families in the community; that number grew to 400 last year as the utilization of the food pantry typically goes up during the holidays, said Bain.
“However, with the current state of our society, usage for our services is steadily rising and at an all-time high, basically meaning utilization of our food bank is always up,” he said.
As use of the food pantry continues to rise due to cost of living impacting clients across the community, Bain said more support is always needed and can come in various ways.
“Monetary donations are crucial to allow us to purchase perishable and nutritious food options,” he said. “Hosting a food drive and volunteering are critical for our day-to-day operations, and continuing the conversation on food insecurity and every individual’s basic right to food will also play an important long-term role to ultimately winning the war on hunger.”
To help support the turkey drive, the food pantry will be hosting its fourth annual Gobble Gobble Classic, a golf event Oct. 6 at Pheasant Run Golf Club. The event buy-in is $175 and will include a cart, lunch and prizes.
“It’s a unique event in which nine holes of the golf course are closed off for the day exclusively to event attendees,” Bain said. “Golfers can choose to play as few or as many holes as they wish until sunset. A $50,000 hole in one prize and a $10 000 long putt prize are a few of the highlights.”
Bain said to continue to ensure families get what they need this holiday season, the best way for the community to help out is through a $40 monetary donation online, which will support one full meal for a family.
Each dinner comes with a full turkey dinner with all the “fixin's,” which includes stuffing, cranberry or apple sauce, potatoes, veggies, gravy, and buns/rolls dessert based on availability, Bain said.
For community members who may need to utilize the turkey drive this holiday season, Bain said they can see the online appointment schedule by visiting the website or by calling the client services team at 905-895-6823, ext. 120.
To register or find out more information about the Gobble Gobble Classic, email Bain at [email protected], spaces are limited.
