What is Operation Turkey?
Operation Turkey is a student lead service project dedicated supplying underprivileged families in the Farmville community with a Thanksgiving meal. Since its conception in 2003, we have asked Student, Faculty, and friends alike to donate their time and energy to help uplift the community that encompasses our beloved University. Those who take part in sponsoring or "adopting" a family are asked to go out and get the essentials necessary for a thanksgiving dinner. We ask for non-perishable goods, such as canned vegetables, stuffing mixes, pie crust, dinner rolls, and a gift card to a local grocery for a suitable amount enough for the families to purchase a thanksgiving turkey. After you’ve gone shopping we ask that you put it in a basket or manageable bags or boxes for the families enjoyment and convenience. After we receive your basket(s) we deliver them to the sponsoring organizations and families that are participating in the program.
Operation Turkey 2007
This year's operation turkey was a complete success. Over 100 families in the Farmville area sat down to a Thanksgiving Day dinner because of the hard work of Longwood University. With the help of the dedicated brotherhood of Phi Mu Alpha and the assistance of Steps Inc, Habitat for Humanity, F.A.C.E.S., Crossroads Community Services Board, and Social Services operation turkey climbed to new heights. Just one week after sign ups began, every family initially identified had a sponsor.
Countless hours were put into a school wide effort that truly made an impact on our community. Over $2,000 dollars were donated in the form of gift cards for Thanksgiving Day turkeys as well as thousands more in the form of over 100 baskets of complete Thanksgiving dinners. Organizations from every aspect on campus stepped up to participate; professors and Longwood staff took the time to make a difference. It took 3 full days of collection and 2 additional days of delivery to get all the food in the hands of the families and every hour was worth it. Next year we hope operation turkey will continue to grow and set new records until there are no more mouths to feed.