Thanks to the generosity of fellow community members, families in need can still gather ‘round and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast from the comfort of their homes.
Though the deadline to apply for Thanksgiving food baskets is Friday, Nov. 15, people can still sign up for the North Whidbey Help House’s waitlist, according to Executive Director Jean Wieman.
The box includes a turkey, stuffing mix, pumpkin pie filling, chicken broth, evaporated milk, Jell-O, potatoes, celery, margarine, olives and pickles. Wednesday, Wieman said the nonprofit welcomes donations of canned sweet potatoes, yams and evaporated milk.
Prospective applicants are required to show up to the Help House and bring their ID to register, after which they are assigned a time slot to pick up their box. Waitlist orders will be ready for pick-up after Nov. 22, Wieman said. The Help House is located at 1091 SE Hathaway Street.
As of Wednesday, about 225 people registered for a box, without counting the many families that have been referred by the schools, Wieman said. In total, Wieman said, the Help House’s team of about 10 volunteers and four paid staff expect to distribute 375 to 400 boxes, a considerable jump from the 300 that were first anticipated.
“With the cost of everything going up, everybody’s feeling the pinch, and we’re starting to see bigger families coming in, people that we haven’t seen in several years,” she said.
Aloha Hart, the secretary of the Gifts from the Heart board of directors in Coupeville, said that though it might be already late to register, late community members will still get a meal. Simply, she said, they may not get to choose their preferred bird and end up with either a turkey or a chicken, with the addition of produce and non-perishable foods.
Community members can pick up their meals from 2 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 20 at 203 North Main Street. Wednesday, Hart counted 130 families on the sign-up list.
Gifts of the Hart accepts non-perishable donations any time, which can be made by calling (360) 672-5502 or by dropping them off at the donation bins located at the Prairie Center Market, the Whidbey Island Bank in Coupeville, the Coupeville Post Office and the Coupeville United Methodist church. Monetary donations can be submitted to giftsfromtheheartfoodbank.com.
The Queen Bee Pantry will provide Thanksgiving boxes containing a turkey and stuffing, a pie, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and ingredients to make green bean casseroles and mashed potatoes.
President Tanya Hernandez, who will be leading a team of 10 volunteers, said Thursday that the organization is expecting to prepare between 100 and 150 orders. The last day to place an order is Nov. 21.
People can pick up their orders on Nov. 25 and 26, while disabled and/or seniors can request for a volunteer to deliver their order, Hernandez said. Currently, the pantry would particularly appreciate donations of fried onions, cream of mushroom and stuffing. The red donation bin is located on the pantry’s driveway, located at 3676 Smugglers Cove Road in Greenbank.
Monetary donations can be made to queen-beepantry.com.
Good Cheer Food Bank, located at 2812 Grimm Road in Langley, welcomes hungry and thankful community members to register for a meal from 10 to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays until Nov. 25. Executive Directors Karen Korbelik and Sarah Benner-Kenagy said there will be plenty of turkeys to feed everyone, with 300 frozen turkeys available.
Guests can request a turkey or other get points to choose from the available Thanksgiving foods. The amount of points will depend on the number of family members. For more information, visit goodcheer.org.
South and Central Whidbey residents who are unemployed, disabled, elderly, ill and low-income can also order a homemade Thanksgiving meal from the Mobile Turkey Unit, which will cook and deliver turkeys, mashed potatoes and stuffing with the help of an army of 150 t0 200 volunteers.
Orders can be placed no later than 7 p.m. on Nov. 21. To request a meal or learn more, visit mobileturkeyunit.com/request-a-meal/ or email MobileTurkeyUnitWI@gmail.com.
The Turkey Unit will deliver orders to each applicant’s address or, for those with no permanent address, at the Chevron Shortstop in Freeland and Mobil – Naomi’s in Clinton.
