The Turkey Drive Story.
November 2020…
It had been a weird year…
The world stopped. Jobs were lost. Food Insecurity skyrocketed. Food banks popped up in parking lots across the U.S., a sight never seen before. One night leading up to Thanksgiving, Dan realized that many struggling families would have trouble buying a Thanksgiving turkey. So, Dan texted some family and friends asking for a $20.00 donation and somehow raised $1,000 by the morning…
The next two weeks were a race against the clock, driving across the Bay Area, buying as many turkeys as possible. Around this time, Dan’s childhood friend, Chris, came on board, and together they successfully donated about 135 turkeys.
Following the success of the first turkey drive, Dan & Chris realized that with some planning, they could probably donate even more turkeys the following year. In September of 2021, they launched a grand initiative to donate 10,000 LBS of turkey. At the price of a few grey hairs, and with enormous generosity from the community, they successfully procured and donated over 350 Turkeys to families in need.
Given the increased scale…
Dan & Chris had to find a way to source several hundred turkeys. After weeks of discussion, they decided the only way they’d have a chance of securing all the birds was to work directly with a large-scale distributor who could provide pallets of turkeys at cost. This led to a partnership with BiRite Foodservice Distributors!
Since then, the two decided to make the turkey drive a tradition of their own. An absolute good that has both engaged and supported the community while strengthening a lifelong friendship!
Realizing that the turkey drive would continue for the foreseeable future, Dan & Chris decided to incorporate as a non-profit to provide tax-deductible benefits to its supporters. Thus, in 2023, the GreatHeart Foundation was born!
In Summary…
The Turkey Drive has become a Thanksgiving tradition between two friends that has grown through its focus on benefiting others. As we ramp up operations for 2025, we’re humbled to report that since 2020, we’ve raised more than $45,000.00 to support Bay Area families and donated well over 2,500 Thanksgiving turkeys (I.E., 17,500 meals).
Further, we’re proud to report that every dollar we’ve raised has been spent on its intended purpose.
But, perhaps the thing we’re most thankful for is the fellowship we’ve been lucky enough to develop with each other and dozens of people along the way, all of whom have demonstrated the character of their GreatHearts.
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