Food bank needs turkeys, sides to help provide Thanksgiving meals

By Amanda Rogers

Mansfield Record

The H.I.M. Center is seeking a few good turkeys – make that a LOT of good turkeys.

The Mansfield food bank is looking at feeding 5,000 families this Thanksgiving, approximately 27,000 people, and it needs all the help and donations that it can get. H.I.M. fed 2,500 families last year.

“The need is so great in Mansfield right now because inflation and the economy have placed a hardship on many working families,” said Lisa Richardson, the food bank’s CEO. “The traditional Thanksgiving meal is reported to be up almost 500 percent from two years ago because of the turkey prices and the supply chain shortages in the food supply.”

The food bank is gathering turkeys and all the sides that make up the traditional holiday meal, Richardson said.

“We need 500 turkeys to insure we fulfill the 5,000,” Richardson said. “We have the other turkeys secured. We need cranberry sauce in the can and stuffing/dressing.  The boxes of stuffing are typically 6 ounces so two per family is what we provide.”

Donations will be accepted through Nov. 16 at the H.I.M. Center warehouse, 150 S. 6th Ave. Meals will be distributed from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Dr. Jim Vaszauskas Center for the Performing Arts, 1110 W. Debbie Lane.

People that need help this Thanksgiving can sign up for the holiday meal at www.himcenter.org/thanksgiving-2022.

“We are happy to help any way we possibly can to insure all families have a blessed Thanksgiving meal,” Richardson said.

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