St. Mary's Food Bank asking for help as they are short thousands of turkeys

PHOENIX - It’s two weeks until Thanksgiving, and Phoenix's St. Mary’s Food Bank is falling behind.

Officials with the food bank say they are short thousands of turkeys to deliver to hungry families for Thanksgiving, and they are putting out the call for help.

"It’s heartbreaking to me to think there are so many families, adults and children, they don’t have enough food," said volunteer Stephanie Mowack.

Food bank officials believe they will need more than 12,000 turkeys this year, and they are short 7,700. When the call for help went out a week ago, they received 300.

"As a child, I know what it’s like to be poor and hungry," said volunteer Victoria Hume. "I grew up in battered women shelter., so this is a way for me to give back."

St. Mary’s isn’t only short on turkeys. They need volunteers as well, as the ongoing COVID-19 has scared away half of their ranks. The workload is now in the hands of the National Guard.

"We got back about half of our volunteers, and most of the individuals, of groups to three and five, that come in to help that we really appreciate, but we want to think the National Guard, working eight-hour shifts to help cover the volunteers we’ve lost," said Jerry Brown with St. Mary’s Food Bank.

Volunteers, however, can’t hand out food they don’t have, so the call for food donations is going out again.

"It’s nice to be able to assist other folks who are working harder on their needs, and I’m working for my own," said volunteer Michael Wheeler.

St. Mary’s Food Bank is teaming up with Albertsons and Safeway stores for a turkey drive on Nov. 21. In 2019, the drive brought in around 3,500 turkeys.

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