Right out of the gate, we knew the 3rd Annual NBC26 Turkey Tuesday at Festival Foods in De Pere was special. Donations started off strong.
"Its about giving back to our community," said Tom Nelson with De Pere Fire Rescue.
The momentum didn't stop all day.
"Everyone needs to chip in and share their wealth with others," said Donor Mary Ament.
Cindy Miller gave us a big surprise. She gave a dozen turkeys to the cause.
"There's so many people who need it, and there was a time we needed it, and we got help," said Donor Aleece Dean.
Dean, like so many people we met, was just trying to pay it forward.
"We've been there many times. When I was young, we struggled," explained Kelly Baierl.
She's now in a position to give a turkey and all the fixings to help a family in need have a happy Thanksgiving.
"I hope that they feel like someone really thought about them and is still thinking about them and praying for them."
After Tuesday's day long donation blitz, Wednesday was delivery and weigh-in day at Manna for Life. It was also a celebration as our donations topped a ton!
"Every year, I'm just blown away by the generosity of the community," said Operations Manager Chad Clements.
He said the more than 2,100 pounds of food donated will feed 850 people. Some will make Thanksgiving meals at home while others will come to Manna for Life for a feast.
"We don't want anyone to go without of course. There's so many generous people in this community. It's just really great to see that people are going to have what they need to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner."
And it's all thanks to your support of NBC26's Turkey Tuesday. This year, we collected four times more food than we did during last year's drive. It's truly remarkable, and we are very grateful for your donations!
