The Turkey Drive tradition is a partnership between ABC 27 and Second Harvest of the Big Bend – a food bank that serves 16 counties across north Florida. This year’s drive had added importance, as part of the proceeds would go directly to victims of Hurricane Idalia in Taylor County.
WTXL, the Scripps ABC affiliate in Tallahassee, Fla., held its 10th annual Turkey Drive on Thursday, Nov. 16, to ensure that no local family would go hungry this Thanksgiving.
The Turkey Drive tradition is a partnership between ABC 27 and Second Harvest of the Big Bend – a food bank that serves 16 counties across north Florida.
This year’s drive had added importance, as part of the proceeds would go directly to victims of Hurricane Idalia in Taylor County.
Starting before dawn and running until the end of the 6 p.m. newscast, viewers dropped off turkeys and made online donations.
During the 5 p.m. newscast, Matt Brown, WTXL’s general manager, presented a $5,000 check from the Scripps Howard Fund to go directly to the hurricane victims.
That helped moved the needle to a total of $36,916 in cash donations and 830 turkeys dropped off.
But the one-day Turkey Drive was just the first part of ABC 27’s commitment to serving its community. Two days later, on Saturday, Nov. 18, 14 WTXL employees and their guests worked with Second Harvest employees to distribute turkeys and other food to more than 1,000 families.
This is the second year in a row where ABC 27 employees have volunteered at the distribution event. It is part of a station-wide effort known as ABC 27 Gives Back – a program created in 2022 to engage employees in their community through volunteering.
Second Harvest conducted additional food distributions the week of Thanksgiving, including one held in Taylor County. In total, it will distribute over 1,500 turkeys for this Thanksgiving.
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