1,000+ volunteers at 5 locations will smoke 550+ turkeys and prepare more than 8,300 Thanksgiving meals (as of current registration/requests received from families in need/partner organizations) this Wednesday.
The festive meals will include not only a generous portion of turkey, but also beans, corn, potatoes and pumpkin pie as well as a drink. Volunteers will not only prepare and plate the meals. They will deliver them directly to food insecure families’ doors Thursday morning, utilizing a phone app to execute Operation Turkey with military precision – worthy of the Greater Houston Veterans Rotary Club, which is leading the effort in Houston thanks to support and donations from Houston area’s 64 Rotary Clubs and other partners and sponsors.
In its 10th year, the event grew significantly in recent years, under Tim Stroud’s leadership from 4,000+ meals delivered in 2017 to 8,000 last year – despite strict pandemic measures. This year the group plans to exceed this number further.
Check out last year’s video to get a better idea – this can be used as B-roll if you wish as well. Spokespeople can be available for interviews ahead of time and throughout the two-day event.
When: Turkeys will be smoked and vegetables cooked and prepared this Wednesday, Nov. 24 starting around 7 am until done – approximately around 6 pm. Meals will be plated, packed and delivered by volunteers to families’ doors on Thursday morning. Please call on-site contacts below to confirm if planning to arrive later in the day or if you’d like to accompany a volunteer to distribute meals.
Who: Greater Houston Veterans Rotary Club, as part of Operation Turkey in Houston.
Where: Five locations across Greater Houston, including Midtown/Museum District, Spring Branch/NW Houston, Katy, and Pasadena – same locations on Wednesday (turkeys smoked and other items cooked) and Thursday (plating/packing and delivering). Dedicated spokespeople for each location are also listed if you want to reach them directly to confirm status, especially if planning to arrive late:
- American Legion, Post 654, Spring Branch North/NW Houston, 3105 Campbell Rd, Houston, TX 77080Hector Giron 832.588.6534; John K. 281.832.8009
- Paul’s United Methodist Church, Museum District/Midtown 5501 Main St, Houston, TX 77004 Paul Richards-Kuan 713.528.0527; Larry Blair 925.200.7640
- Elks Lodge #2628, 1050 Katy Fort Bend Rd, Katy,TX 77493. Myrna Trevino 713.870.7688; Tim Stroud 254.247.9203
- American Legion, Post 521, 2221 Preston Ave, Pasadena,TX 77503. Bob Gebhard 713.824.7135;
- The Warrior Refuge, 212 Veterans Park Dr, West Columbia, Texas 77486Heather Rimato 832.260.5083; Ariel Lara 979.824.8949