Tall turkey wants Utahns to give food

Last year they were 3,000 turkeys short. So this year the folks at the Utah Food Bank are trying to get your attention with a 25-foot inflatable gobbler.

The two-story faux turkey roosts on the roof of the food bank's warehouse, where a giant freezer waits for actual turkey donations to the annual holiday food drive. The food bank is hoping to receive a total of 18,000 frozen turkeys, as well as 1.5 million pounds of other donated food.

That's a scaled-down goal from last year, says food bank director Jim Pugh, when the agency hoped for 22,000 turkeys. And it's far short of the estimated 30,000 Utah families who typically turn to the food bank for holiday food.

Meanwhile, hungry Utahns trying to get information from the state's 211 information and referral number heard a busy signal for two days this week while Qwest tried to fix a severed line in the neighborhood. The 211 number typically gets about 400 calls a day for help with housing, food and health care, says Sara Beckstead, development director for the Community Services Council, which oversees the food bank. The food bank itself, which shares a building with the 211 office, has also had phone problems this week.

People who want to donate a frozen turkey or a bag of food can bring their items to the Food Bank warehouse, 1025 S. 700 West, or drop them off at one of the state's 60 food pantries, Wells Fargo bank branches, Jiffy Lube, Riverton Motors or Smith's Food and Drug stores.

Donors who don't want to bother with cans and boxes and frozen poultry can purchase $10 turkey coupons or $7 food bag coupons at Smith's; the stores, in turn, will donate the food to the food bank.

Pugh hopes the 25-foot inflatable turkey, donated by Inflation Creations, will remind donors to give and give early. In past years, he says, turkeys have continued to come in as late as the day before Thanksgiving, which makes delivery difficult to distant parts of the state.

Requests for food continue to climb each year, he says. "These are people living right on the edge, with at least one person in the house working full time."

Frozen turkeys and trimmings will be available at food pantries, and on Nov. 24 at the annual turkey giveaway at the Indian Walk-In Center, 120 W. 1300 South.

---

E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com