Organizations distributing meals experiencing turkey shortage
Families lined up Wednesday at the Ozanam Center in Brownsville for a turkey giveaway.
The homeless shelter in Brownsville also serves as a food pantry. They planned to give out 450 turkeys at the giveaway, but the center only gave out around 200.
Ozanam Center Executive Director Victor Maldonado said he was shocked to find out their turkey order from the Food Bank RGV would be cut in half.
“In the beginning of November, we were notified that there was only a certain amount of turkeys that we were going to get,” Maldonado said. “I was told that there was a shortage of turkeys, that the food bank limited the amount of turkeys that every agency would be getting."
Maldonado says out of the four years the center has been distributing turkeys, this is the first time their order was cut.
The Ozanam Center is not the only organization being impacted by the shortage.
The Good Neighbor Settlement House in downtown Brownsville also gave out less turkeys than they set out to. The organization relies on donations from different corporations to serve 500 families.
This year, the organization only received 100 turkeys and 100 sides as donations.
“If we don't get enough donations, we're not able to help as many people as we can, and that's unfortunate," Good Neighbor Settlement House assistant Director Belinda Bradford said.
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