SPOKANE, Wash. — It started as just a few hundred turkeys in a parking lot. It wasn’t a glamorous beginning, but 25 years ago, KREM 2’s Tom Sherry had a simple goal: to provide people in the Inland Northwest with a turkey for Thanksgiving. That idea has since grown into serving nearly a million meals to people around the region.
It’s hard to know exactly how many people have been impacted by Tom’s Turkey Drive. There are countless individuals and companies involved in the process—from the volunteers to the recipients, the businesses that donate big checks to the kids who bring in their pennies. But what they all have in common is our gratitude for their participation in the largest holiday turkey drive in the region. Over two and a half decades, the drive has brought smiles, tears, and laughter to so many.
Tom’s Turkey Drive is proud to support families in need. Our partners at Second Harvest estimate that one in eight people face hunger, including one in five children who struggle with food insecurity every day in our region. Tom’s Turkey Drive can’t solve hunger, but together we can make Thanksgiving special by providing a meal with all the favorite fixings. This year, we plan to provide 8,500 meals in the greater Spokane and North Idaho areas.
Each year, KREM 2 and our partners work to raise funds to help families create their own Thanksgiving dinner. Each meal bag contains a turkey, potatoes, rolls, stuffing, milk, gravy, and canned vegetables. We know families are facing financial challenges this year, and Tom’s Turkey Drive is a way to help ease the burden, allowing them to enjoy the holiday. Thanks to your support, Tom’s Turkey Drive has provided more than 800,000 meals to families on Thanksgiving over the years. That’s a lot of food and a lot of memories.
KREM Cares is excited to host the 25th Annual Tom’s Turkey Drive event this November. Though the event has grown, its mission remains the same: to provide families with a complete Thanksgiving meal. Our longtime grocery partner, Rosauers, will kick off the annual event with the KREM Cares team on November 1. Local stores will offer “Tom’s Turkey Drive” bags for sale as you do your holiday shopping. Each $25 bag represents a Thanksgiving meal for a family of four (or more). We hope you can join us once again to help make the holidays special for local families.
