PORT TOWNSEND — People will be lining up at 6 a.m. Wednesday to get on the list for a free turkey from the Port Townsend Food Bank, but those who aren’t up at the crack of dawn will still get their bird.
“It’s going to be crazy busy,” said Shirley Moss, the food bank’s director.
“We don’t know what it’s going to be like, but if the past is any indication, anyone who wants a turkey will be able to get one.”
The food bank in the Mountain View Campus, 1919 Blaine St., will be open at its regular time from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for what Moss said is the facility’s busiest day of the year.
Aside from all the fixings, it will distribute 350 turkeys weighing 12-pounds each that are donated by Arrow Lumber, a small chain with a store in Port Townsend.
The company has donated turkeys to the food bank for the past five years and also contributes to about 15 other communities in the region, according to company representative Cadian Hendricks, who was helping unload the turkeys Monday.
“Not everyone wants a turkey,” Moss said.
“The guys who live in the woods don’t have any way to cook a turkey, so we have other things like a small chicken.”
Cranberry sauce, green beans, canned corn, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and broccoli will also be available to anyone who shows up with a need for a Thanksgiving meal.
“The fresh vegetables will go pretty quickly, so I recommend that people get here early,” Moss said.
“It all comes down to balance. We want to feed everyone who shows up, but we don’t want to give it all away in the beginning and run out at the end.”
Two factors will prevent this from happening: the ability for volunteers to determine how much food will feed each family and the customers’ tendency to take only what they need, Moss said.
The food bank has 62 volunteers, although not all of them will be working Wednesday, Moss said.
While the food bank prefers to receive donations of cash rather than food, Moss said that any last-minute donations of canned proteins, such as tuna or peanut butter, are needed.
For more information, phone 360-531-0275.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.