Dec 18, 2012 2 min read

The 2000 Turkeys 2012 campaign wrapped up recently, but the 2013 campaign received an early gift when the Order of the Daughters of Penelope donated $1,000 last week.

The money was collected at the AHEPA Daughters Christmas party and presented by Becky Pihiou of Canonsburg to the 2000 Turkeys board at WJPA radio station during the fundraiser’s wrap-up broadcast.

It’s a welcome donation for 2000 Turkeys, which raised $157,138.33 this year to provide Thanksgiving dinner to 18,200 unemployed and underemployed people in Washington County. 2000 Turkeys was started about 30 years ago by Byron Smialek, Grace Hopwood, WJPA disc jockey Pete Povich and the late Wayne Armstrong, and has grown into an annual tradition for individuals, companies, schools and organizations looking to help those in need celebrate the holiday. Every $10 raised provides a Thanksgiving dinner for a family of four. 2000 Turkeys is the largest single fundraiser on behalf of the Greater Washington County Food Bank and its neighboring pantries. The food bank has established qualification guidelines for families who receive the Thanksgiving dinners.

“We can’t thank enough everybody who helped make this year’s 2000 Turkeys so successful,” said David Rhome, a member of the 2000 Turkeys board and mayor of Canonsburg.

This year, 2000 Turkeys received thousands of dollars in donations from individuals, along with large contributions from Washington County businesses. Among them were $10,000 from The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, more than $31,905 from Range Resources in matching funds during the final days of the campaign, $11,622 from Marcellus Shale companies and their employees, and $24,032 collected from the Greater Washington County Food Bank’s direct mail campaign.