Families in need will be having a fantastic Thanksgiving thanks to the efforts of participants and volunteers of the 2014 TurkeyPalooza. Hosted at Coffee Creek Watershed in Chesterton, an event with activities including a 5K, live entertainment, and tons of vendors entertained a multitude of guests and runners alike.
500 Turkeys started as a challenge for a group to feed Thanksgiving turkeys to 500 families, and now serves a whole meal to over 800 families in need of a holiday meal. The cash donations received at the event go to the purchase of the turkeys, and the rest of the food is donated and collected from various businesses around the area.
Founder of the event, Jeni Bolton, and her church Life Bridge Christian Church in Valparaiso have continued, for six years, to bring the event together.
“At a youth conference, they challenged the kids to go out and serve something greater than themselves by giving them a card in an envelope with a goal. I decided to take one that said, ‘Raise enough food to feed 500 families for Thanksgiving with 500 turkeys.’ I took the challenge on and six years later, here we are,” said Event Founder, Jeni Bolton.
There was a lot to do for people of all ages at the event. Along with the food and vendors, there were performances from Chris & Lou, David Thornberry Duo, and Mike Lee. Everyone got a warm visit from Clifford the Big Red Dog and everyone’s favorite clown, Ronald McDonald.
A great activity for the kids was a bounce house and the mega 360 obstacle course, provided by Bounce N Around. Kids got their faces painted and then took to the bouncy house to burn off some energy.
“We just enjoy giving back to the community that gives to us in any way that we can. We are on a variety of boards and committees, always trying to give back to the community,” said Jessica Bailey, owner of Bounce N Around, a sponsor of the event.
As part of an on-going tradition, the event featured a Fun Run 5K that was kicked-off by Ronald McDonald himself.. Runner Ryan Tomalla, took home the gold with a time of 18.05.
The fun Turkeypalooza event fought the battle of the rain to raise funds for the families in need during the holidays. The goal of 500 turkeys will always be met with the help of those who continue to put the time in effort into this great event.
“My favorite part of TurkeyPalooza is giving people a way to serve the community. If they volunteer to hand out water on the race, work in the kid-zone, vendor, or just come to check it out, that is just more people that know how to serve their community. Every single person here is helping feed over 800 families,” said Jeni Bolton.