Hoping for a Thanksgiving miracle
<p>JEROME A. POLLOS/Press Jim Guyer, a warehouseman at the Community Action Partnership food bank, transfers 40 turkeys from the warehouse to a tent constructed for people seeking Thanksgiving food items. The food bank received about 100 turkeys Wednesday morning that were donated, but are still far from the 3,000 turkeys needed for families for Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>JEROME A. POLLOS/Press Pam Downs, a food bank volunteer, organizes food Wednesday that she'll deliver to organizations that have clients who are not able to travel to the Community Action Partnership food bank. Downs relies on donations that she collects for the food bank in order to make the deliveries.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - Rosemary Topp didn't mind waiting in line, in the cold, Wednesday morning to pick up her Thanksgiving food basket from the Community Action Partnership Food Bank.
She was just glad to have somewhere to turn for help.
"If it wasn't for places like this, there would be a lot of people going hungry and without food," she said as she stood in an open tent.
Topp, who plans to spend a simple Thanksgiving with family, said getting by lately is tougher. She stays with a friend in Spirit Lake, budgets her disability money to combat rising costs of living, and calls on the food bank, too.
That's why she was thrilled when 80 frozen turkeys were delivered to the food bank as she stood with about 15 others shortly before 9 a.m.
"When you don't get a lot of money it helps out. It stretches the food stamps that you do get," she said. "If it wasn't for this, there's probably many a night we would have went hungry."
Not everyone has been as fortunate this week at the food bank when it comes to a turkey for the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Food bank program manager Carolyn Shewfelt said they had perhaps 100 turkeys on Monday, ran out by 2 p.m., and began telling clients they would have to return Friday or Monday for a turkey - if enough were donated.
About 200 came in - and went out - Wednesday.
She's still hoping to receive nearly 3,000 more turkeys - yes, 3,000 more, - to meet the needs of 3,500 who registered for a Thanksgiving food basket.
It would be a miracle, she says, but she believes it will happen.
"We had to just send people away today without turkeys," she said. "They'll have to come back and hope we have some. It's just really sad."
So Shewfelt is appealing to the community: If you can buy a turkey and deliver it to the food bank, please do so.
Even ingredients for the food baskets, like stuffing, cranberry, pumpkin and gravy mix, are in short supply.
"We're running really low on that stuff, too," she said.
Some help is on the way.
Lake City High School is in the midst of its annual food drive, and other organizations are still collecting. But a Boy Scout food drive didn't yield as much as usual, Shewfelt said, and many groups have already delivered their contributions.
Some donations couldn't be used.
"It was staggering the amount of expired food we got this year," she said. "It shows people have a heart, they just don't have the means."
Thanksgiving food boxes are being given out from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day this week. Monday saw a long line of people waiting for several hours.
Shewfelt said they set up tents with heaters and have been serving hot coffee to try and keep clients warm.
"We're doing everything we can to make people comfortable while they're waiting," she said.
Even then, it's hard.
One woman and her husband waiting in line said they have two children and a third is on the way.
The father, an iron worker, was laid off about three months ago, and the mother, a special education teacher, has been two years without work.
The food bank is their sustenance.
"It's pretty much the only thing supporting our family," said the woman, who declined to give her name. "So this is very important to us."
They must pay rent and electricity, she said, but can't afford medical insurance.
"That's not a priority over food," she said. "When you don't have that money for food it's really hard."
She was dismayed to learn there were no turkeys available Wednesday and her family may have to go without on Thanksgiving.
"Usually I'm a donor. Now on the other side seeing there's no turkeys," she said, her voice faltering. "It's hard."
Shewfelt said she sees how much clients are depending on the food bank for their Thanksgiving celebration. She is counting on the community to come through.
"You don't realize how important this is to people until you talk to them," she said.
Turkey donations can be dropped off at the food bank, 4144 W. Industrial Loop, which is just west pf Atlas Road.