Operation Turkey needs your help feeding 10,000 Houstonians on Thanksgiving

Posted: Nov 16, 2023 / 06:06 AM CST

Updated: Nov 16, 2023 / 06:11 AM CST

HOUSTON (KIAH) – Operation Turkey will be mobilizing community volunteers to feed 10,000 individuals and families in need this Thanksgiving.

Each year, around 2,000 volunteers work together to ensure everyone receives a warm meal on Thanksgiving Day. Volunteers donate, procure, prep, cook, portion and then deliver thousands of meals to Houstonians. The families that receive these delicious meals are either food insecure or mobility challenged. A large portion of these families are Veterans.

Operation Turkey is a 100% volunteer organization with no paid employees. Kids can even help by decorating or writing special messages on the clamshells the meals are delivered in.

There are two days to volunteer. Wednesday is the Turkey Tailgate where volunteer cook and prep 500 turkeys and sides.

Thursday morning, the rest of the food is cooked and packaged. Volunteers then line up in their cars where they are given the meals and their route.

To explain more about Operation Turkey and how you can help, Bob Gebhard, Co-Founder of the Greater Houston Veterans Rotary Club, Navy Veteran, and co-site leader, along with Hector Giron, Commander for the American Legion, Post 654, and is the site leader for Operation Turkey, and a Navy Veteran, stopped by the CW39 Studios.

There will be four locations where we will prepare food and loaded into volunteer vechicles:

Elks Lodge #2628

1050 Katy Fort Bend Rd, Katy, TX 77493

Site Coordinator: Tim Stroud (Veterans Rotary, 254-247-9203, info@stroudmarketing.com & Paul Kurt, 832-228-3561, pkurt@kurt-associates.com.

American Legion, Post 521

2221 Preston Ave, Pasadena, TX 77503

Point of Contact: Dan King, Phone: (713) 472-4255

Site Coordinator: Bob Gebhard (Pasadena Rotary, 713-824-7135, coach@bobgebhard.com) and Bill Palko, bpalko55@yahoo.com.

American Legion, Post 654

3105 Campbell Rd, Houston, TX 77080

Site Coordinator: Hector Giron, 832-588-6534, hctrgiron77@gmail.com

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church