For the 41st year, Janet Easley will help feed her neighbors on Thanksgiving. The first time, she cooked turkeys, stuffing, sides and sweet potato pie at her church, Sunrise Missionary Baptist Church.
During the pandemic, she switched to a drive-up turkey giveaway. Last year, she gave out between 300 and 350 turkeys.
With people struggling to feed their families, she’s hoping to do more this year. Her goal is to hand out 400, or even 500, turkeys. You can call Easley at 317-709-0984 or her assistant coordinator Bobbie Jones at 317-361-5149 if you want to donate money or volunteer to pass out turkeys.
The turkey giveaway starts at 9 a.m. Nov. 22 at Watkins Park, 2360 Doctor M.L.K. Jr St. Every car can get one free turkey until they run out.
If you go
Free turkey giveaway
🗓️ Saturday, Nov. 22, starting at 9 a.m.
📍 Watkins Park, 2360 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.
🦃 Drive up to get a free turkey, while supplies last
Easley said it’s been hard to get the turkeys together this year.
“I’m struggling more to get it this year than we’ve ever struggled before,” she said. “I got people at my church calling me already asking for food baskets.”
“But I’m determined to do what I can to feed these people on the 22nd. I don’t care how I got to do it. We’re going to get these turkeys, and we’re going to round them up and we’re going to do what we can to feed people.”
Earlier this month, Easley interacted with a woman in front of her in line at the grocery store. The woman pulled out her card to pay, and the cashier said her total would be $48.
“‘Well, I don’t see how it is $48, ’cause I already added it up, and it was $20 something dollars,’” Easley recalled the woman saying. The woman apologized for taking up time and started putting everything back but toilet paper and a few other items.
Easley offered to pay. “I ain’t got much, but here. Whatever you like, here it is. You just go on and finish paying,” she told the woman.
“‘Somebody would do it to me and help me, so I want to help you.’ And I told her, ‘Hey, God’s been too good to me for me not to be able to help somebody.’”
It’s just like how, every year, Easley says she wouldn’t be able to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner knowing someone else didn’t have food to eat.
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