BLOOMFIELD — Foodshare’s annual turkey drive for needy families has been going on for one week and so far has collected 3,224 birds.
That leaves the Bloomfield-based regional food bank with another 12,964 to go to make its goal of feeding 16,188 families who requested a turkey for the holiday.
“We feel good about the start,” Foodshare President and CEO James Arena-DeRosa said Tuesday, “but if we stay on pace, we’ll be behind by Monday.”
The early total was achieved through several collection events, including Bank of America’s Turkey Tuesday, which brought in 1,283 turkeys, Aetna with 54, Goodwin College with 43, Old Burnside Brewing with 27 and the Hartford West End Town Drive with 25.
Stop & Shop donated 1,000 turkeys and restaurateur Billy Grant donated 800.
With one week to go there are several large collections coming up, including the Jack Bannan Memorial Turkey Trot on Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, at locations around the Farmington Valley; the Lincoln Financial Turkey and Thirty Drive, on Thursday from 7 to 9 a.m., at 350 Church St., Hartford; the Voya Financial Turkey and Thirty Drive on Thursday, from 7 to 9 a.m., at 1 Orange Way, Windsor; and the Back East Brewery Drive on Friday, 4 to 7 p.m., at 1296 Blue Hills Ave., Bloomfield.
“The next two days are big days,” Arena-DeRosa said.
Foodshare has also received more than $300,000 in donations to its campaign to feed the hungry beyond the holidays, including $40,000 from the TD Charitable Foundation; $30,000 from the Lincoln Financial Foundation; $20,000 from Bank of America; $10,000 from the SBM Charitable Foundation; and $6,000 from Webster Bank.
Highland Park Market and Foodshare’s distribution facility at 450 Woodland Ave., will also be accepting donations through Nov. 24.
For a full list of donation and events or to make an online donation, go to aturkeyand30.org.