Over the course of three decades, the Turkey Man project has become synonymous with the Thanksgiving holiday for many families in Erie. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania again has partnered with Turkey Man program leaders Rick Hinman and Charles Spacht to acquire donated and purchased food to fill 3,500 Thanksgiving dinner boxes for those in need. Employees and agents from Erie Insurance and other area donors made this distribution possible.
“In 1987, the ‘Turkey Man’ project began with the goal of helping one family celebrate Thanksgiving with a holiday meal,” said Charles Spacht, IT Manager. “It is an extraordinary feeling to be part of a network of donors and volunteers that has grown to distribute a total of 60,000 Thanksgiving meals over the course of the past 30 years.”
Volunteers from Erie Insurance will be packing Thanksgiving dinner boxes on Saturday, November 19th between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. at Second Harvest. These dinner boxes will then be delivered to area food pantries and hunger relief organizations that are member agencies of the Second Harvest network. Media is welcome to attend.
“We are so grateful to the Turkey Man contributors and the level of commitment they continue to show towards feeding the hungry in our area,” said Karen Seggi, executive director of Second Harvest. “Celebrating Thanksgiving and enjoying a festive meal go hand-in-hand. The Turkey Man project continues to ensure those families that are less fortunate may join together around a dinner table during the holiday season.”
Each dinner box will be filled with a traditional thanksgiving meal, including, but not limited to: a turkey, vegetables, potatoes, stuffing, rolls, a frozen pie and more. To request more information about the Turkey Man project, please call Cindy Plymyer at 814-459-3663, ext. 103, or email her at cplymyer@nwpafoodbank.org.
