The Denver Rescue Mission is short on turkeys for its annual Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless and staff are asking the community for a helping wing.
The mission has a goal of 15,000 birds to be able to feed everyone seeking a meal on Thanksgiving. Currently, the shelter located at 1130 Park Avenue West has only received 4,078 as of Thursday, according to Denver Rescue Mission officials.
“Without the generosity of each donor, thousands of people would not have a Thanksgiving meal,” said Brad Meuli, president of Denver Rescue Mission. “Many people in our community are reminded of their own thankfulness and want to be able to share with others.”
Rescue mission workers start to get anxious around this time every year, for a good reason, said Alexxa Gagner, Denver Rescue Mission spokeswoman.
“The reason we panic is because we distribute most of the turkeys days before Thanksgiving,” she said. “They started going out today and as of Sunday, 7,950 will be distributed, pending they come in.”
Donations of frozen turkeys weighing 12 pounds or more can be dropped off at the Lawrence Street Shelter or Cherry Hills Community Church at 9890 Fairview Parkway.
Ryan Parker: 303-954-2409, rparker@denverpost.com or
