Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Porter County is collecting recipes or notes for the families who receive Thanksgiving meals through 500 Turkeys.
Leftover recipe ideas will be part of the 500 meals distributed through the program, which is hosted by Life Bridge Christian Church and supported by region businesses, organizations, schools and volunteers. The meals include a turkey and roasting pan and two of the following: boxes of mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn bread mix and brownie mix and cans of corn, green beans, yams and cranberries as well as gravy jars, containers or packets.
Leftover recipes can be sent to RSVP, 1005 Campbell St., Valparaiso, IN 46385 by Nov. 12.
Joyce Bolin, Porter County director of RSVP, said this is the first year the volunteers have participated in 500 Turkeys. “After learning more about the meal program, I felt it would make a good partnership with our RSVP volunteers,” Bolin said. 500 Turkeys was launched in 2009 in order to provide all the main components that a family of four would need to cook a Thanksgiving meal at home. The last two years the program has helped 500 families in Northwest Indiana with the assistance of volunteers and food and monetary donations. This year, the challenge is to collect two of each complementary item to include in the meal along with a turkey.
“The vision is to add a personal touch with the recipes. We have some schoolchildren creating cards with Thanksgiving wishes for the families and having homemade recipes is a personal touch to warm their hearts,” said Anna Sheets, a volunteer with 500 Turkeys. “Since we are doubling the side items this year, we are hoping leftovers will be a benefit for some of our families.” Sheets said food donations are under way at more than 50 collection sites across Northwest Indiana, including 20 McDonald’s locations, through Nov. 3.
“We have also had mobile collection sites, with volunteers parking outside local supermarkets to encourage their supporters to drop off donations more conveniently,” Sheets said. “We added a mascot personality who adds to the enjoyment at collection sites and helps raise awareness with appearances.”
She said various volunteer opportunities are available and tax-deductible monetary donations are still being accepted to assist with purchasing the turkeys. Donations are accepted via PayPal on the Web site, www.500turkeys.com, or checks made payable to 500 Turkeys can be mailed to 500 Turkeys c/o Life Bridge Christian Church, 1705 LaPorte Ave., Valparaiso, IN 46383.
“We order turkeys in conjunction with the Northwest Indiana Food Bank who negotiates a great bulk price for us,” Sheets said. “All funds collected prior to distribution will be used to feed families. Extra funds collected in the past have added a few dollars to each box to help with preparation costs of butter, eggs, etc.”
For more information on the program and how to help, visit www.500turkeys.com or call 219-531-7777 Ext. 15.
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Porter County connects individuals 55 and older with volunteer opportunities in schools, libraries, nursing homes and various organizations across the county. The program is an avenue for volunteers to utilize their life experiences and skill sets to help fulfill important needs within the community. For more information, contact RSVP at 464-1028.
Porter County Aging and Community Services is a sponsoring agent for RSVP of Porter County, providing office space and some financial assistance. PCACS’ mission is to extend a helping hand to seniors, those who are disabled and low-income residents by providing services to improve their quality of life, including transportation, nutrition programs, energy assistance and activity centers.
For more information, contact PCACS at 464-9736.