Manna needs turkeys

While families gather around their tables tomorrow to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, not all of them have as much to be grateful for as others.

As this edition of the Thousand Oaks Acorn is being put together, we've learned that Manna, the Conejo Valley food bank, is getting unprecedented demand for turkeys. A source told us that strangers to Manna, middle-class families, were now asking for food, possibly because of the home mortgage crisis.

Manna expected about 525 families would need turkeys this year, but the supply is already down because most grocery stores that previously offered "buy one turkey, get one free" aren't doing the same this time. With fewer families giving away their "extra" turkeys, Manna expects to be about 200 birds short of what's needed.

The food bank also uses money from donors to purchase turkeys, but again, they aren't getting two birds for the price of one this year.

Manna will stay open until about 4 p.m. today, Wednesday, but we were told that if more turkeys arrive, they'll stay open until all the turkeys are gone.

Obviously all the staples that accompany a holiday meal are also needed: dressing mixes, potatoes, bread, cranberries, vegetables and pumpkin for pies.

Manna can always use cash or checks. They're at 3020 Crescent Way, Thousand Oaks, 91360, just south of Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Call (805) 497-4959 if you have any questions.

For a list of other agencies that distribute food and other necessities to people in need, please see Community section.

Thanks for whatever you can do. Enjoy the holiday weekend, and if you're traveling on the roads and freeways, please drive defensively.