Every year, Albertsons stores collects donations to help buy local families a Thanksgiving meal. This year, United Way of Santa Barbara County (UWSBC) has partnered with Albertsons in Goleta on Calle Real, for the annual Turkey Bucks fundraising project.
Turkey Bucks is an annual campaign in which local grocery stores collect donations and use the money raised to buy turkey dinners for families who cannot afford to buy their own for the holidays.
A total of 40 families in need will each receive a free full-course meal including a turkey dinner, pumpkin pie, King’s Hawaiian rolls, Sig Café broccoli or creamed spinach, fruit, Russet potatoes, and Signature Select Butter Top Bread.
Albertsons and United Way worked with Girls Inc., Hope Elementary School District and Harding Elementary School to identify the 40 families to receive a holiday meal.
“We are extremely grateful to work with Albertsons, especially during this hard year, to help give families in need a Thanksgiving meal,” said Steve Ortiz, president/CEO of UWSBC.
“With the pandemic only adding to regular holiday stresses, we are happy to provide a meal for families who would otherwise go without a Thanksgiving meal,” he said.
One mom of two who received a Thanksgiving Dinner was overjoyed that she no longer had to worry that her kids wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving meal. She planned to stretch the feast out over the entire week and said the food would be of tremendous help to her family.
United Way thanks all partners involved in this effort, as well as Ahmed Jahadhmy and Chris Robertson of Albertsons, who reached out to United Way for the opportunity.
To learn more about United Way of Santa Barbara County, visit unitedwaysb.org.