Annual Turkeypalooza Kicks off on Nov. 14
The week of Nov. 16-24 is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, and Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee University will be doing its part to help address the problem with its eighth annual Turkeypalooza. The event kicks off Friday Nov. 14 with Bring Your Turkey to Work Day.
In addition to frozen turkeys, Campus Kitchen will need potatoes, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, cans of pumpkin and disposable roasting pans.
Paige Missel, rural outreach coordinator at W&L (and an AmeriCorps VISTA member), said, “We will be accepting frozen turkeys on the top deck of the W&L parking garage from 7 to 9 a.m. In addition, will be also having a food drive at Kroger on Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.” The Lexington Baptist Church is also holding a food drive. “Everyone is so willing to give to this event,” said Missel. “Last year, we collected 640 pounds of turkey and were able to deliver 236 meals. We hope to be able to feed even more families this year.”
As with past Turkeypaloozas, W&L’s Campus Kitchen is holding longer cooking shifts to prepare the meals on Nov.16, from 3 to 5 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., and again on Nov. 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
Campus Kitchen partners with agencies throughout Rockbridge County to identify those in need; it will be serving the Thanksgiving meals Nov. 17-20 to clients at Magnolia Center, Lexington City Office on Youth, the Manor at Natural Bridge and Rockbridge Area Relief Association. Deliveries for the individual meals and fixings will be Nov. 16 and 17.
“We’ve got 15 leadership team members who mobilize other W&L students, faculty and staff to help prepare a traditional turkey dinner,” Missel said. “CKP’s goal is to actively engage the W&L and Lexington communities, and we’d love to have more volunteers sign up to help with both the meal preparation and deliveries.”
If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Missel at misselp@wlu.edu or (540) 458-4594. Members from the W&L community are asked to access the online portal (go.wlu.edu/ce) to sign up.
