Talking Turkey, the Gift that Keeps Giving

You make the walk down the supermarket aisle. The store-brand turkeys are loss leaders in this week’s flyer. You ponder purchasing an extra turkey at these bargain prices.

You’ve heard turkeys make really cost-effective gifts (okay, maybe this is the first time you’ve heard that). But to whom—and how do you gift wrap them?

Here’s the bottom line: your gift of one turkey can help one family in need through the holidays by providing an average 33 meals’ worth of protein to that family. It’s a gift that allows them to put a portion of their food budget toward something else – like medicine, utilities, health and hygiene items, needed clothing.

And you don’t need to gift wrap those turkeys. Just drop them by Springs Rescue Mission during business hours in the next week or so, or bring them sometime late Saturday morning November 10  to The Gobble Gobble Turkey Wobble at America the Beautiful Park. (If you want to, you can leave a modest cash donation. Between $5 and $10 can cover at least one turkey purchase, along with storage and distribution.)

We have a community goal with Care and Share Food Bank to raise 10,000 frozen turkeys through actual turkey donation combined with cash donations targeted for turkeys this week, November 10-16. But you can start bringing those turkeys now—like today—if you like.

Your turkey donation will help meet the goal to provide protein for 330,000 meals in the Pikes Peak Region and southern Colorado. It's an aggressive goal to meet a growing need among our neighbors, 1 in 6 of whom live in households at or under the poverty line right here, right now.

Turkeys: the gifts that keep on giving. Now you know.

Brother, sister, can you spare a turkey? Today?

Charity, Carnival and The Gobble Gobble Turkey Wobble

I thoroughly enjoyed my hometown school’s Band Carnival. We transformed the cafeteria, gymnasium, and outside yard of our high school into a smorgasbord of game booths and food tables. (I also remember pulling regular shifts as one of the “Dunk Tank” targets…hmmm…) The event helped the elementary, middle school and high school bands buy instruments and uniforms. It was quite something for a small town of 3,500 to finance an entire instrumental program for seven grade levels mostly from one event. It was a lot of fun, and it worked.

A far wiser man than I has suggested that the spirit of charity, at its heart, is the spirit of carnival. In other words, it can actually be fun to give toward meeting someone else’s need without expecting anything in return.

In earlier times, carnivals were held in part to provide a central gathering place (and event) that made it easier for people to bring help for those in need. Sometimes carnivals were “sponsored” by communities; other times by fraternal organizations within churches. As time passed, events have been used by schools, youth groups, civic organizations, and others to raise awareness and funds.

This year, in just a few days, Springs Rescue Mission joins with Care and Share Food Bank for the 2012 “10,000 Turkey Team” whose goal is to raise 10,000 turkeys through donations of frozen turkeys or the money to help buy them during the week of November 10-16. Ten thousand turkeys will provide enough protein to cover 330,000 meals for our neighbors in need in the Pikes Peak region and southern Colorado. It’s a challenging task, but not impossible.

And besides – we can have fun making it happen. We need thousands of people like you to join us for the kickoff event November 10 at America the Beautiful Park starting at high noon. The Gobble Gobble Turkey Wobble offers you the chance to not only provide a turkey or two, but to set one, two or three world records. (Please register now to be a part of those record-setting events at www.mysrm.org/wobble.)

You may not feel like you’re taking the problem of hunger seriously enough by having fun while you’re helping to provide protein for 10,000 or so hungry families, but remember the early church wisdom saying the Lord loves people who give out of cheer, joy, or even (in some translations) outright hilarity.

So be hilarious. Come to the Wobble dressed like a turkey. Dance the Twist for five minutes. Do the Hokey Pokey in a single line for another five minutes. Bring yourself and a friend or your family and a frozen turkey.

Let’s have some fun doing good through some cheerful charity. It works!