Cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and over 2,000 turkeys were given out to those in need on Tuesday at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.

“We’ve had an interesting couple of weeks with the SNAP adjustments and our lines are much longer at the food bank,” said CEO Leonard Hansen, with the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton. “As a result, we expect this one to be bigger too.”

According to volunteers and organizers, this event, put on by the food bank, was the biggest turnout they’ve seen in years.

“Normally, we get a couple of, ‘Hey, are you guys still doing it this year?’ But this year has been a relentless amount of phone calls,” San Joaquin County Fairgrounds CEO Daniel Castillo said. “I mean, just tons of people who are looking to see what resources are available to them during some difficult economic times.”

The Emergency Food Bank of Stockton says they’ve seen a 35% increase in need, so events like this mean much more than just one Thanksgiving meal.

“They’re spending their money for rent. They’re spending their money for other things. They’re spending their money on child care,” Castillo continued. “The added stress of making sure that you have enough food on your plate, I mean, we want to do what we can to try to take that stress off.”

Anne Swehla-Garcia is one of the volunteers who has wanted to take that stress away for years, encouraging her friends and co-workers to donate.

“Over the nine years, we’ve collected more than $63,000,” she said. “This year was $7,320, and then I’ll start on Saturday collecting money for the Christmas giveaway.”

This, along with the 120 volunteers at the giveaway, shows that every person can make a great difference.

“When you meet the people that are every day on the ground feeding Stockton in our community, you can’t help but want to be part of that,” Swehla-Garcia shared.

“There are two keys to putting your life in relatively good shape. One is to be present, and one is to be grateful,” Hansen added. “Start with this holiday. Be grateful for where we are and who we are and who we can help.”

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