Wayne Co. turkey drive raises money for food baskets to help families

On Nov. 19, Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano helped hand out free turkeys at the county’s annual pre-Thanksgiving event for deserving families.
Hundreds of families in Wayne County will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, thanks to donations from Wayne County employees.
The Wayne County Employee Turkey Drive started in mid-September and concluded in mid-November. The drive raised close to $3,000 which was used to provide turkeys and food baskets to nearly 300 families throughout Wayne County.
“Even with the financial challenges of the County and its effect on their own pay, our employees were able to help some less-fortunate citizens enjoy Thanksgiving,” Ficano said.
“We hope our turkey and food basket donations will enhance Thanksgiving for some of our residents.”
Ficano was on hand when the first wave of the turkeys and food baskets were distributed on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Just over 20 people gathered at the Wayne County Senior Services office in the Kay Beard Building, in Westland, to receive their turkeys and food, including a large family from Belleville.
A number of social service organizations, including Detroit Goodfellows and the United Way, helped Wayne County organizers identify the recipient families. The receiving families are from Detroit, Downriver and Western Wayne County.