Thanksgiving morning, November 26, dozens of volunteers will gather in the basement and parking area of the Common Place at 58th Street and Chester Avenue to cook, package and distribute over a thousand hot turkey dinners for distribution in Southwest and around the city. Mobilized Operation Turkey (OT), the willing volunteers will hover over hot stoves and warming tables or file down the line to fill up plastic delivery trays with rich slices of baked turkey, mashed potatoes, and traditional vegetables. These will be bagged and turned over to waiting drivers who will take the hot meals to families who signed up for the holiday meal.
Philadelphia OT’s 2nd Annual Thanksgiving dinner project was exquisitely organized by Andrea Johnson who founded and directs Girl U Can Do It, a non-profit that provides counseling and support for youth.
“Our volunteers flavor these dinners with kindness, patience, empathy, and compassion to help make another’s day brighter,” recalled Johnson, a diminutive dynamo who not only sets up the Philadelphia version of Operation Turkey but involves herself wherever she is needed on the holiday itself.
Some meals are available for walk-ins from the Kingsesing neighborhood who register online.
Nationally, Operation Turkey assures that 75,000 homeless and underserved persons get a hot meal at Thanksgiving, mobilizing as many as 20,000 helpers at some 20 locations We couldn’t have done it without the guidance and support of the national organization,” reflected Johnson. Helpers can still sign up by contacting volunteers@operationsturkey.com
For more information about Operation Turkey and to make donations, visit http://www.operationturkey.com/locations/philadelphia/
