With all the individual chaos going on in the People’s Thanksgiving Turkey Drive Steering Committee’s lives this past month, co-founder Juan Fernandez wasn’t sure there would even be a drive.
Fernandez, an East Chicago native, is currently working in Iowa, while co-founder Josey Herrera recently took job with Gosch Elementary in East Chicago, he said. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Maria Rivera, and he are expecting their first child; another member’s mom has fallen ill; and another just buried a favorite uncle.
With all that turmoil, Fernandez figured they’d be lucky to help 100 families in East Chicago. Instead, they’re now up to 300 families in East Chicago and Gary, and if donations keep coming in, they might reach their goal of 500 families.
“I have no idea,” Fernandez said, laughing. “I’m in the middle of nowhere, and with Josey working and being a mom, I can’t believe we’re going to double it. We’ll hit 300 for sure, and everything else is just golden.”
Part of the group’s good fortune came in large part from a sucessful fund-raiser they threw in September at Coach’s Corner, in Hammond’s Hessville section, Herrera said. Afterward, the group set up a gofundme account more on a lark than anything.
“We didn’t know if (gofundme) would work because before, Juan and I would go pick up the donations ourselves,” she said. “But so far, we’ve gotten $3,200 in monetary donations, and it hasn’t stopped.”
What they don’t get in money, they’re making up in food. One donor, who asked to remain anonymous, donated 100 turkeys, Herrera said, and the elementary schools are once again doing food drives to supplement the rest.
Kids at Gosch Elementary spent Thursday decorating the school atrium with banners and boxes to entice fellow students to donate. Sixth-graders Jeannevaeh Williams, Donye Lampkins and LaMichael Sesson said their classes compete with each other over who can collect the most.
“It’s mostly our class (that brings in the most cans),” Donye said. “I’m going to get some cans of green beans this weekend for 49 cents, 75 cents. I keep up with the papers.”
“Last year, we would go to tutoring, and I would drink my juice but give everything else (to the drive),” LaMichael said.
Jeannavaeh added that collecting food for the drive helps her and her peers learn how to be caring and share with others.
With Fernandez gone during the week, Herrera has been doing more of the heavy lifting. That’s fine by her, since she knows he “would talk to everyone for three hours if I let him.”
“There’s nothing I Iike more than going into a grocery story and cleaning everything off the shelves for this,” she said. “That’s my favorite part.”
The real fun will start Nov. 21, however, when Fernandez and his team will bring in high school students to put the baskets together for delivery Nov. 22. Their experience won’t stop there, according to Herrera.
“On Sunday, we’ll pair up the kids with adult drivers to deliver the food so they can learn how to network,” she said. “This becomes a community learning experience for everyone.”
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Learn more:
Donations for the 5th Annual People’s Thanksgiving Turkey Drive are still being accepted through https://www.gofundme.com/9g77n2kc
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. To submit a family to receive a dinner, contact Juan Fernandez at (219) 801-5631 or through its Facebook page, https://m.facebook.com/219TurkeyDrivr/.