Fundraising for the Student Government Association (SGA) Annual Turkey Drive will continue through the next week, according to Sergio Mata ‘19, Executive Officer of Student Life.
The Turkey Drive is a campus wide effort to provide Thanksgiving turkeys and trimmings to families in need living in Allegany county. Security guard Ray Parlett has participated in the Turkey Drive for the last nine years. He said, “ [I] distribute turkeys each year through local food pantries and other organizations. You might say the students raise the money and I get to spend it. I have worked primarily with Shop and Save in Fillmore but also with Harington’s Sure-Fine in Belfast and occasionally Tops in Wellsville, all of whom have provided the turkeys to us at their cost, and at times even below cost.”
Families in need of a Thanksgiving turkey receive coupons, which are “distributed through the Houghton and Fillmore food pantries with some provided to the Rushford pantry as well” said Parlett. Aside from turkeys, “the food pantries also provide other food supplies to these families so they can have a nice complete meal for Thanksgiving, a rare thing for many of them,”Parlett noted.
Fundraising began with the Homecoming 5k race, which replaced the Turkey Trot 5k race SGA and Campus Activities Board (CAB) have hosted in the past, according to CAB member Kasey Cannister ‘17.
Fundraisers for the charity include Turkey Grams and “sponsor a turkey/feather,” according to Mata. “Students can pay $1 to send a Turkey Gram from the turkey mascot, just like candy grams,” he said. He also stated the print-out turkeys and feathers, which students purchase and color, will be made into a mural to decorate the dining hall for Thanksgiving.
SGA Vice President, Daniel Merriam ‘19, said students can sponsor a whole Thanksgiving turkey for a needy family for $15, or can sponsor part of a turkey by purchasing a feather for $1. “If every student sponsors a feather, we will easily meet our fundraising goal,” he said.