Friends of Folsom providing 10,000 turkeys to families across region
FOLSOM — You may be seeing holiday decor lining store shelves, but before we get to December, we can't skip over Thanksgiving. One local organization is providing 10,000 turkeys to families across the area.
With turkeys on heads and 10,000 turkeys on thanksgiving tables, the Friends of Folsom put the "fun" in fundraising, celebrating their accomplishment before the sun came up.
It's now been 13 seasons of turkey donations, and for these volunteers, slowing down isn't an option.
"COVID years were really rough to get through and we were like 'Hey, maybe this is the year to pull the plug, throw in the towel, say hey we'll catch you next year.' Those were the years when we had the most monumental impact. The family that we've surrounded ourselves with, they wouldn't let us not do it," said Sarah Woods, the vice president of Friends of Folsom.
With years of experience under their belt, the group streamlined the delivery process this year.
"We had a lot of turkeys delivered to our food bank and we made the donation with turkey certificates and cash," said Jeff Garcia with Friends of Folsom.
Their donation went to the Sacramento Food Bank and was a welcome generosity at a time when many families are struggling.
"Our demand for food services has really skyrocketed," said Kevin Buffalino, the food banks' director of communications. "Especially this year because of inflation. We've seen some of our highest numbers ever in the history of our 46-year-old organization this year."
It's an act of giving that volunteers hope can make a difference.
Friends of Folsom's spirit of giving will continue past Thanksgiving as they are already planning similar fundraisers for the Christmas holiday.
