Hundreds line up in NB for free turkey giveaway

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Story Published: Nov 24, 2009 at 6:28 PM PDT

By Kristina Nelson, KCBY News

NORTH BEND, Ore. - For most folks, Thanksgiving means turkey, stuffing and giving thanks. But for those who are less fortunate, it could mean another day without a meal. That's why a group of local professionals have stepped in to provide thousands of dollars worth of food to those in need.

Folks began lining up as early as 11:30 Tuesday morning, hoping to snag one of the 420 turkeys being handed out in North Bend.

By two p.m. the line was around the block.

The commotion was all part of the first annual 'Turkey Giveaway,' put on by local lawyer Juli Upton and Dr. Wallace Webster.

"We've really been blessed this year and we wanted to help folks that were less fortunate, that were having problems and struggling this year, as we know there's a lot of needs to be filled. We had $4,500 to work with," said Upton's husband David.

Both professionals along with their families, helped distribute turkey and potatoes to the crowd.

Dorothy Olsen and her daughter Janetta Peterson got to the location three hours beforehand to line up for the food.

"We're on a fixed income with her disability and I just wanted to make sure we have a nice Thanksgiving. We have a big family that's coming for dinner and it's like, what are we going to feed everyone, you can't just open up a bunch of cans, so this way we have the potatoes and turkey to feed everyone," said Olsen.

Upton and Webster want to make this an annual tradition, and hope to inspire other professionals in the community to give back this holiday season.

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