SPOKANE, Wash. — A few weeks after the 2020 Tom's Turkey Drive event, KREM 2 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sherry called it a "Thanksgiving miracle."
The meal distribution took place at the Spokane County Interstate Fairgrounds just days before Thanksgiving. It was a day that took months of coordination and planning by all the partners involved. The first-ever drive-by distribution ended in success and provided 11,000 Thanksgiving meals to area families.
It was a day that no one at KREM 2 will soon forget. While the world was in lockdown, KREM 2 viewers broke donation records and took care of people in a time of great need.
That kindness was acknowledged on Sunday, June 6 when KREM 2 received a regional Emmy Award for Tom's Turkey Drive. The Citation for Outstanding Community Outreach was given to KREM 2 by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Northwest Chapter.
KREM 2, Second Harvest and a host of partners spent the late summer and early fall trying to keep up with COVID-19 protocol while planning on providing meals for thousands of people. Families were struggling and food insecurity was up dramatically. There was no doubt that Tom's Turkey Drive was necessary but not necessarily doable in the traditional form.
While keeping the spirit of the event, all partners involved with Tom's Turkey Drive adapted to achieve the goal of feeding families while keeping our community safe. KREM 2 is proud to celebrate this recognition with our Tom's Turkey Drive partners and the whole community.
KREM 2 would also like to recognize the Tom's Turkey Drive partners: Second Harvest, Rosauers, Numerica, Franz, Itron, Starbucks and Washington Dairy Farmers.
Many local businesses, agencies and groups donated to Tom's Turkey Drive this past year. Thank you for the support and we'll see you in November 2021.