Philabundance needs turkeys, trimmings

Got an extra turkey? A local nonprofit is looking for 4,000.

This Saturday, the hunger relief organization Philabundance kicks off its annual Turkey Round-up and Holiday Food Drive.

With this year's faltering economy, Philabundance, which distributed 17 million pounds of food in the Delaware Valley in 2007, is seeing a decrease in donations and an increase in people looking for help.

"We are getting more volume of donations, but the amounts are smaller," explained spokesperson Martha Buccino.

The decrease in donations is a result of suppliers like retail outlets, distributors, importers and wholesalers tightening inventory to weather the bad economy, leaving less to give to nonprofits.

Donations from individuals are down, too, because money is tighter.

Winter's rising fuel costs are stretching people's budgets, so families that would normally be OK on their own are now looking to food cupboards for help.

"We are seeing a lot more working families in need of food," said Buccino.

Eastwick Methodist's Mission House hunger relief program has seen a 50 percent increase in their traffic since last year.

"I see a lot of the same faces, but I see a lot of new people, and there are more and more every month," said Mission House director Annette Rose-Glover.

She gets food from Philabundance and a weekly stipend from Eastwick Methodist Church, but it's not enough to cover the increased demand.

"I mean, the people I have, the church doesn't cover it. So I'm giving it to them out of my pocket," Rose-Glover said.

It's gotten so bad, she said, that she's had to turn people away, the first time she's done that in five years.

Philabundance, which distributes food to more than 600 Delaware Valley agencies, is looking for nonperishable food as well as turkeys.

For Thanksgiving, canned sweet potatoes, instant mashed potatoes, canned green beans or corn, macaroni and cheese, turkey gravy, chicken stuffing mix, egg noodles, white rice and cranberry sauce are in high demand.

If you are contributing a turkey on Saturday, bring a dated supermarket receipt for your purchase, for health reasons.

And don't worry about missing the Thanksgiving deadline: Philabundance will need donations for Christmas and New Year's, too.

If you can't make your donation in time for the holiday season, the nonprofit always needs canned tuna, peanut butter and jelly (in plastic containers), and fruit and vegetable juices.

Turkey Round-up

10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday

Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center, 25 E. City Ave., Bala Cynwyd.

Philabundance, 3616 S. Galloway St., Philadelphia.

Westtown Village Shopping Center, 1161 Wilmington Pike, Westtown.

Eagle Plaza, 700 Haddonfield-Berlin Road, Voorhees, N.J.