BC turkey growers are among the first in Canada to chip in as part of a national initiative by the sector to give back.
Three organizations are each receiving $10,000 from members of the BC Turkey Marketing Board and the BC Turkey Association to help them fight hunger. These include the Union Gospel Mission, Potluck Café Society and Breakfast Club of Canada.
“They are fulfilling a critical role in helping those in need get through these incredibly challenging times,” said BCTMB general manager Michel Benoit.
Potluck Café Society, for example, estimates that it has served more than 85,000 meals to residents of Vancouver’s downtown eastside since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The donations are a BC contribution to the Wishbone Project, a national charitable initiative that turkey growers and processors launched in April 2020. New Brunswick is the only other province to have announced donations to date, with a gift of 500 birds to the province’s food banks.
Nationally, the program has donated $130,000 to Kids Help Phone and 4-H Canada to support mental wellness among children. An additional $25,000 was donated to address food insecurity.