No one will be left out

COEUR d'ALENE - For Carolyn Shewfelt, it was finally time to relax.

Even if just a few moments on a freezing Tuesday morning.

"It looks like we might be able to pull this off after all," said the manager of the Community Action Partnership food bank.

A heartwarming ending, it seems, to a story that seems almost commonplace here.

It was just late last week when the food bank was some 1,500 turkeys short of meeting demand for Thanksgiving meals.

But as word grew of the frozen fowl shortfall, the community rallied. On Friday alone, nearly 1,000 turkeys were donated.

The donations kept coming.

By Tuesday, nearly every one of the 2,500 who signed up to receive a food box, and another 100 or so on a backup list, had either received their turkey or had been called to come pick it up.

"We called for two hours straight this morning," Shewfelt said.

It looked like no one would be without a bird on the dinner table.

"We're just hoping our turkeys hold out," Shewfelt said.

She said it was very stressful last week when it seemed there would not be enough turkeys for all those who asked for one.

"I was thinking, there's no way," she said.

But there was a way.

She said the community response "has been overwhelmingly awesome."

"We had lots of volunteers showing up," she said.

Shewfelt continued accepting donations Tuesday, and calling those who were anxiously awaiting word.

"We don't want anybody to go without a Thanksgiving meal," Shewfelt said. "We don't want anybody to be left out. Now, they won't have to be."