can i donate a frozen turkey

Can I Donate a Frozen Turkey? A Helpful Guide for Giving Back This Holiday Season

The holidays are a time of giving and helping those in need. For many generous folks, donating a frozen turkey to a food bank or charity seems like a meaningful way to support the community during Thanksgiving or Christmas. However, while the intentions are good, most food banks actually recommend against donating whole frozen turkeys for logistical reasons. This article will explain when and how you can donate a frozen turkey during the holidays, as well as better ways to support your local food banks if turkeys don’t work.

Can You Donate a Frozen Turkey to a Food Bank?

Many of us grew up with the tradition of donating turkeys to our local food banks around the holidays. So it may come as a surprise that most food banks today no longer accept whole frozen turkey donations from individuals.

The main reasons are:

• Food Safety Concerns: There is no way for food banks to verify the frozen turkey was stored at safe temperatures after leaving the grocery store. If it partially thawed and refroze, bacteria could grow making the turkey unsafe.

• Limited Storage Space: Turkeys take up a lot of freezer space that food banks need for other frozen foods. With limited cold storage, it can be hard to accommodate more than a few donated turkeys.

• Bulk Buying is More Efficient Food banks can get more bang for their buck buying turkeys in bulk at wholesale prices versus individuals donating retail-priced turkeys,

For these reasons, unless your local food bank has explicitly said they are accepting whole frozen turkeys, it’s best to find other ways to donate.

When Can You Donate a Turkey to a Food Bank?

While uncoordinated turkey donations are often not accepted, some food banks will put out calls for frozen turkeys leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas if they have the storage space Organizations like Martha’s Table and New York Common Pantry have run turkey drives with drop-off locations and freezer trucks

Your best bet is to call your local food banks a few weeks before the holidays to ask if they are accepting turkey donations for Thanksgiving or Christmas. That gives them time to plan accordingly if they say yes.

Some food banks only want commercially packaged turkeys rather than home-cooked ones to reduce food safety issues. Ask what their requirements are if they are accepting turkeys so yours meets their guidelines.

Where Else Can You Donate Frozen Turkeys?

If your local food bank is not accepting turkey donations, check with other organizations like local homeless shelters, soup kitchens, churches, and nonprofit groups to see if they could use turkeys for holiday meals. Again, call ahead to check their donation guidelines and freezer capacity.

Some communities also organize special turkey drives allowing you to drop off donations at specific dates, times and locations like fire stations or schools. Check your local newspaper and community websites for these kinds of holiday donation events.

Better Ways to Support Your Food Bank

If donating a whole turkey doesn’t work, here are some other excellent ways to help your food bank andneighbors facing hungerthis holiday season:

• Donate Shelf-Stable Foods: Canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, mac and cheese, crackers and other non-perishable items are always needed. Make it a family activity to buy extra food on your next grocery trip to donate.

• Give Financially: Monetary donations allow food banks to purchase what they need most in bulk. Every $1 donated provides enough for several meals!

• Volunteer: Food banks need extra help sorting donations, packing boxes and distributing food, especially around the holidays. Gather friends, family or coworkers to lend a hand.

• Host a Virtual Food Drive: Set up an online food drive through the food bank so people can ship food or give money. Promote it on social media to amplify donations.

• Purchase Turkeys for the Food Bank: You or your company can buy turkeys in bulk for the food bank at wholesale prices instead of them using limited funds.

• Donate Your Time and Skills: If you or your employer can spare some professional services like refrigeration repair, trucking, advertising, or accounting help, food banks will appreciate it.

The Bottom Line

While the gesture is appreciated, for logistical reasons, most food banks today cannot accept whole frozen turkey donations from individuals. If your local organization has explicitly said they want turkeys, then follow their guidelines closely on storage, packaging and drop-offs. Otherwise, the best way to help is donating shelf-stable food, giving financially, volunteering or holding a virtual food drive. With some planning and creativity, you can still make the holidays a little brighter for community members facing hunger.