Donations help St. Mary's Food Bank meet 7,000 turkey goal

The St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix has reached its goal to receive 7,000 donated turkeys to help fill the bellies of needy families in the Valley. 

Several large donations  -- including private community donations and one from the Arizona Diamondbacks – helped the food bank reach its goal by Tuesday night for its annual 3-day Thanksgiving distribution, according to spokesman Jerry Brown.

Going into its Super Saturday Turkey Drive, St. Mary's Food Bank still needed 6,500 turkeys to reach its goal. The deficit had narrowed to 1,500 by Monday.

Brown said St. Mary's Food Bank anticipates feeding over 12,000 families, each of which receives packages with traditional Thanksgiving foods, like stuffing and cranberry sauce and a bag of fresh produce, in addition to a turkey.

“We started out further behind our goals this year than in any other year in recent memory,” St. Mary’s Food Bank President and CEO Tom Kertis said. “Thank you to the Diamondbacks and several others who have made significant, anonymous donations. Just as important is the outpouring of support from every person who donated one, two or ten turkeys and everyone who dropped a can in a food box proves once again that Arizona responds to the call for help when asked."

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