Hundreds Donate To LI Turkey Drive, Including 1 Woman Who Used To Be Homeless Herself

BETHPAGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Hundreds of people on Long Island donated all sorts of essentials to a turkey drive for those without a holiday meal this Thanksgiving, including one donor who once needed help herself.

A local girl scout troupe joined the Thanksgiving turkey drive in Bethpage on Friday as car after car pulled up with families pouring out of their vehicles, answering the call for turkeys and much more, TV 10/55's Richard Rose reported.

Among the hundreds of generous-hearted was Gina Acres. She didn't have a turkey, but donated cash instead, because as she said, she was once there herself 30 years ago.

"I was totally homeless in Manhattan and on the streets and hungry," she said. "And you know if people didn't help me, I wouldn't be standing here today."

Acres was saved by food banks and shelters, and she rebounded to build a long, successful career as a legal assistant.

Now retired, she said for her, lending a helping hand is simple.

"It's sort of like the payback. It's the least I can do, don't you think?" Acres asked.

By midday, the Island Harvest turkey drive had netted well over 1,000 turkeys and tons of canned goods.

Tens of thousands of turkeys like these will be donated to families facing hunger, but that doesn't come close to meeting the need, with 300,000 Long Islanders facing hunger year round.

Mike Soto knows some of those suffering might be his neighbors, so he wanted to teach his son Luke a lesson about helping others.

"I think it shows that there's people out there that don't have the stuff that he has, and if you can do it, you should do it," Soto said.

The donated food will be distributed to shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, the elderly, needy schools and vulnerable children.