2000 Turkeys raises more than $189,000
Thank you, Washington County.
Thanks to your willingness to open your hearts and your wallets, the 2021 2000 Turkeys drive raised more than $189,000 to provide Thanksgiving dinners for Washington County’s food-insecure families this Thanksgiving.
WJPA disc jockey Pete Povich – who has been a part of 2000 Turkeys since shortly after it was started by the late Observer-Reporter writer Byron Smialek and civic activist Wayne Armstrong, along with Grace Hopwood – marveled at how much the fundraiser has grown, and how many families it has helped since it began in the early 1980s as a seasonal food campaign for the unemployed.
“I don’t think Byron or Wayne or Grace ever imagined that we could help this many people or raise this much money, from the generosity of all of Washington County,” said Povich, recalling how the group handed out turkeys from the trunk of a car.
This year’s 2000 Turkeys campaign, along with last year’s – both held during the COVID-19 pandemic that has left many families struggling to make ends meet – have been the largest in the fundraiser’s history.
And it wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of individuals, businesses and organizations who enthusiastically donated to 2000 Turkeys.
In addition to partnering with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to provide Thanksgiving dinners – complete with turkey, side dishes and desserts – to more than 2,100 Washington County families, 2000 Turkeys also supplied an estimated 700 turkeys to Bags of Love, a Washington City Mission outreach that also provides Thanksgiving dinners to struggling families.
2000 Turkeys also has teamed with Range Resources for more than 10 years. For the past two years, Range has hosted a 2000 Turkeys Telethon, which raised $54,000 in one hour this year.
“Range has been fortunate to have been a part of the 2000 Turkeys campaign. It’s allowed us to develop stronger relationships with the community through the 2000 Turkeys Food Drive and now the 2000 Turkeys Telethon,” said Laural Ziemba, a member of the 2000 Turkeys board and Range Resources director of public affairs. “Through that time, we’ve seen children grow into young adults who have continued to support this important cause year over year. Thanks to the community for faithfully showing up to help their neighbors in need – and for teaching their children the importance of philanthropy.”
2000 Turkeys is sponsored by the Observer-Reporter and WJPA.
“As an active member of the Washington County community, the Observer-Reporter feels a responsibility to promote important causes such as the annual 2000 Turkeys campaign,” said Executive Editor Liz Rogers. “We will continue to support 2000 Turkeys for as long as the need exists.”
Charlese Hayden McKinney, director of Partner Network Programs at the Pittsburgh Food Bank, said more families than ever are struggling to make ends meet due to the pandemic, and thanked donors.
The food bank projects the numbers of families facing food insecurity to continue to rise, as people encounter rising food costs and other challenges.
“Wow, this is truly amazing. Thank you so much to each and every person who donated,” said McKinney. “Your generosity helped feed thousands of families this year, and for that, we are truly grateful.”
Shop ‘N’ Save – where yellow 2000 Turkey placards can be purchased throughout the drive – also has been involved with 2000 Turkeys for at least a decade.
Said co-owner Jeff Duritza, “We’re in the food business; our job is to feed people. We’re fortunate that we can help others who don’t have the necessary means to provide for themselves. We’re honored to be able to help those folks out. When that time of year comes, we’re ready to jump in and help out as much as we can to help provide Thanksgiving meals.”
DeFY Security CEO Justin Domachowski said he is happy to be a part of the 2000 Turkeys campaign.
“We’re all created to help and to serve other people, and when you see people all around you in need and you have an opportunity to give back, you do it,” said Domachowski. “And what better time to give back than at Thanksgiving? We will continue to participate in it.”
The 2000 Turkeys committee – Povich, Ziemba, Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome, and Karen Mansfield – would like to thank all of you who have stepped up to help 2000 Turkeys grow from a small, grassroots event into an annual tradition that has grown to help so many of our less fortunate neighbors.
We’re thankful for every single donation, small or large – from the coin jars collected by children, and donations of every size from churches, schools, civic organizations, and companies like Shepherd’s Financial and Pennsylvania American Water Company. They all matter.
We want you to know that when you sat down to Thanksgiving dinner with your family, your donation enabled other families to enjoy the holiday with their loved ones, too.
Thank you to the following for their generous donations:
Al Murdoch, $50
Stacy and John Zeno, $20
Jack and Janet Jones, $50
Kang’s Black Belt Academy, $2,200
Liberty Lumber Inc., $2,500
Patty and Joe Grohal, $20
Caitlyn Burroughs, $50
Michael Zahora, $50
Eleanor Grudi, in memory of husband, Edward Grudi Sr., $25
Fraternal Order of Bears 83, $400
Dale and Jean Lyons, $200
Carl Zellie Jr. and Bonnie Zellie, $100
Trinity North Elementary School, $688
Anonymous, $200
Anonymous, $50
John and Dorothy Tecklenburg, $2,500
Joseph and Gretchen Brehl, $100
Douglas and Cathy Silbaugh, $100
Donald Battistone, $50
James and Kathleen Zeremenko, $20
Suzanne Kline, in memory of Eric Kline, $50
William Kottner Jr. and Cindy Kottner, $200
William and Monica Saporito, $30
Karen and Roeleen Thompson, in memory of G. Robert Thompson, $25
Patrick Morgan, $500
Edward Krenn Jr., $25
Paul and Joy Cheslock, $25
Darline and Brian Rumbaugh, $75
Gary Ford and Kathy Moninger-Ford, $25
Michael and Janet Racko, $50
Mark and Sandra Bonanni, $20
Peggy Ball and Otis Spicer, $50
Gerald and Sherry Mellinger, $25
Marcy Pankas Cadez, $50
Joelle and Gregory Papson, $75
Zane Karchella, $100
Sam’s Pizza, in memory of parents Howard and Shirley Rhome, $1,000
Rotary Club of Washington, $1,000
Richard and Sonia Blaha, $50
Private James Perry VFW Post 191 $500
Pennsylvania American Water, $10,000
Dee’s Record and Video Shop Inc., $200
Charles “Chilly” Slaugher, $20
Charles Pappas Jr., $100
Frank and Louise Horne, $75
Diane Chenney, $25
Independent Political Club, $100
Telethon:
Scott and Michelle Armstrong, $1,000
BPOE Washington Elks Lodge 776, $500
Joseph and Lynn Manning, $50
Leslie Povich, $100
Anonymous, $2,000
Brian and Susan Pinkerton, $50
Anonymous, $50
Anonymous, $40
Anonymous, $20
Duritza’s Enterprises Shop ‘N’ Save, $4,319
Michael and January Yurchak, $50
Mary Alice Susko, in memory of my parents, Edward and Betty Tomasik, $1,000
John P. Friedmann Atty, $250
D.A. Jason M. Walsh, $250
Greenbriar Treatment Center, $100
84 Self Storage, $100