The turkeys outnumbered the families for a while Tuesday — but the families kept coming.
For the second year in a row, Carnicería La Carreta, a Mexican meat shop and grocery in Bakersfield, donated 40 plump turkeys to the Kern County Sheriff’s Activities League to make sure SAL students and their families could enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, American-style, or cooked any style they wanted.
“I’ve never cooked a turkey before,” said Bakersfield native Maria Marquez, 30, whose 8-year-old daughter, Kamila, attends the SAL after-school programs. Despite her lack of experience in roasting one of the big birds, Marquez would carry away a frozen turkey from the special event hosted by KC SAL at the Kern County Sheriff’s East Bakersfield Substation on Flower Street.
“It’s a help,” said Marquez, who had her 2-year-old and 5-month-old daughters with her.
“This is wonderful,” she said. “This will be my first time. Hopefully, it comes out good.”
Kern County sheriff’s deputies Iris Mendez and Luis Diaz were there to assist.
“Last year we had our first turkey distribution and we donated to families here in east Bakersfield,” Mendez said. “And that includes also our Sheriff’s Activities League families.”
The turkey giveaway kind of started by accident.
“Last year, one of the SAL kids who I work with mentioned to me that if his family didn’t win a turkey at school for Thanksgiving, they wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving meal,” Mendez remembered. “That really touched my heart and it was one of the reasons we started this in the first place.”
Kern County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Lori Meza said organizers learned a lesson from last year and decided to include recipe assistance and food safety tips with each turkey.
“Many last year didn’t know how to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal.”