Low-income families with at-risk kids were handed a little bit of goodwill and the means for a good meal Sunday.
The Youth Empowerment and Skills (YES) Centre spent much of the afternoon giving away turkeys to those in need at the Forest Lawn Community Association in the city’s southeast.
The YES Centre said it wanted to make sure families who couldn’t afford a traditional Thanksgiving meal were able to celebrate the holiday anyway.
Turkeys were distributed starting at 2 p.m., and the YES Centre’s executive director says there was a lineup waiting for volunteers when they got there.
“Some families came out at 12:20 (p.m.), 1:30 p.m.,” Gar Gar said.
Out the door the birds went.
“You see the happiness on their faces, to have something to cook with their families.”
While the YES Centre was able to help out a lot of folks, it also learned just how many in need are actually out there.
Volunteers were prepared to hand out 50 turkeys collected through donation.
But it wasn’t enough.
“We had to do a second round,” said Gar.
“We had to find another 25 turkeys.”
Armed with donated funds this time, the YES Centre was able to bump its total number of turkeys to 75.
It still wasn’t enough, and that’s when Gar said a hard reality started to set in for volunteers.
“There’s almost 150 families on the waiting list,” said Gar.
“It really highlights the magnitude of the problem.”
Some people did have to be turned away Sunday, which Gar says was “absolutely heartbreaking” each time.
If the YES Centre can rally enough donations yet again, Gar says a third round of turkeys will be handed out on Monday.
Anyone interested can contact the YES Centre at 403-826-0731.
Post a Comment