Turkeys fly into food bank as readers respond
By Nancy Needham  nancy@theacorn.com

In an 11th-hour outpouring of compassion, community members put turkeys on the tables of many in Thousand Oaks who've been experiencing hard times.

Lost jobs and unaffordable home mortgages were among the circumstances making it difficult for some Conejo Valley families to have a holiday dinner on Thanksgiving.

Then there were the supermarkets: Most weren't offering "buy one turkey, get one free" deals this year. According to Manna director John Gorham, those past promotions were very helpful to the food bank as many people would give their extra turkey to the less fortunate.

As if that were not enough, Gorham himself was in a serious car accident Nov. 19, the Monday before Thanksgiving. His 1994 Pathfinder was totaled. He walked away from it with a cracked sternum and broken ribs, he said.

"I was on my way to city hall for a meeting to get grants for Manna. You have to be at the meeting to get the money for the next two years, and I wanted to make sure we got the money, so I had a friend pick me up (from the accident scene) and drive me to the workshop. I think I was in shock," he said.

With his injuries, he pressed on through the week feeling very low and saddened because he knew about 200 families wouldn't be getting a Thanksgiving dinner because of the turkey shortage, he said.

"I know it's silly and symbolic, but when someone goes through a holiday without having anything to help them celebrate it- they're human, and it takes away a part of them," Gorham said.

He didn't want to see the families who were already under stress going without a turkey. A holiday dinner would mean they could feel a part of a deeply rooted tradition that means a lot to each of us, he said.

As he nursed his injuries that Monday night, he reached out to this newspaper for help even though he thought it might be too late to get the word out. The food bank had about 525 requests and about 325 turkeys.

An editorial was written letting readers know of the food bank's plight. As soon as the papers hit the driveways, turkeys started coming, and people kept marching in with them all day long, Gorham said.

Kiwanis Club members brought in 22 turkeys first thing in the morning. The community's generosity continued throughout the day as about 285 more turkeys arrived. Some people brought by 10 at a time; many came with one turkey--all were appreciated. By 5 p.m. Manna had given out 575 turkeys. The group had about 35 extra left in their freezer, he said.

"We're so happy. It was wonderful. Fortunately, another article (written weeks ago) had brought in about 60 new volunteers. With me injured, if we hadn't had the volunteers, we couldn't have gotten them all out to every single client," Gorham said.

Every client of Manna who needed a turkey got one, along with all of the fixings. In fact, they had so many turkeys they were able to share with other charities in need of them. They gave 50 to the Shadows lowincome apartments, 60 to Feed My Sheep, 50 to Lutheran Social Services and 50 more to the Ventura County Rescue Mission.

"The Rescue Mission was in desperate need, and I'd told them we weren't going to be able to help them out. By the end of the day I was able to call and tell them we had enough to share, and they were very happy," Gorham said.

Now the group is looking for an organization to help them provide about 400 Christmas gifts for the children of those who come to the food bank. A church that usually helps out with that is going to focus on food drives this year instead of the toys and clothes for the children, he said.

"All we need to do in Thousand Oaks is let people know what is needed. It is absolutely amazing the fast response we got from the editorial on our need for turkeys. People really read the Acorn and respond," Gorham said.