‘Turkeypalooza’ brings a taste of Thanksgiving to those in need

Wake Forest students, faculty and staff will prepare and deliver nearly 400 Thanksgiving meals to food-insecure Winston-Salem residents ahead of the holiday.

Volunteers will prepare dinners from scratch using as many local ingredients as possible. The meals will include a variety of Thanksgiving favorites, including turkey, cranberry sauce, green beans, vegetable stuffing and pumpkin cookies.

Media are invited to attend the cooking shifts taking place from Mon., Nov. 12 through Thurs., Nov. 15 in the Campus Kitchen Lounge 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Please make arrangements in advance.

The week before Thanksgiving, meals will be distributed to community partners including: El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services, Azalea Terrace Senior Apartments, The Olio, NC Faith Health, Samaritan Ministries and The Shalom Project.

Campus Kitchen will also deliver non-perishable food items to local organizations to help stock pantries for the cold months ahead.

Turkeypalooza, hosted by Wake Forest’s Campus Kitchen, coincides with National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week. During the academic year, the student-run program provides nearly 250 meals a week to organizations in Winston-Salem.

“Turkeypalooza is about connecting to one another in the spirit of Pro Humanitate,” said Brad Shugoll, assistant director of public engagement at Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate Institute. “Cooking and delivering made-from-scratch meals creates a deep sense of connection between our students, faculty, and staff and the Winston-Salem community.”

Video: Turkeypalooza 2017