Monday a happy Wake Forest Police Officer M.W. Sattler was able to report he and his fellow officers and office staff had 850 turkeys on hand that morning to distribute to 850 families in need of help for their Thanksgiving dinner.
Area people and businesses donated 270 turkeys in the last few days of the Wake Forest Police Department’s annual Turkey Drive. Sattler had reported 580 (actual turkeys and donations to purchase) on the Monday before Saturday’s turkey drop-off.
Officer Sattler organized the department’s first Turkey Drive in 2007 and since then the department has distributed nearly 6,000 turkeys with this year’s 850 making it close to 7,000 turkeys.
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There were equally generous donors Saturday to a food drive organized by the Town of Wake Forest, radio station 96.1 BBB and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. The drive, in two locations during the day, raised enough in food and cash donations for 1,158 meals.
Linda Johnson with Curtis Media, the radio station’s parent company, said, “Between Saturday’s drive and the efforts from the Town of Wake Forest Parks and Recreation Department, the town by itself raised nearly 300 pounds of food, which equates to about 158 meals.
“In addition, $100 in cash was donated Saturday during the turkey drive [that] with matching funds from the Friends of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, that will provide 1000 meals. So in total? Wake Forest alone provided 1,158 meals to those in need!
“Many times, people bring us donations and say “I know it’s not much.” To those suffering this season from food insecurity, it means the world.”
