With the holidays upon us, it is the time to give thanks and come together as a Community.

This year, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community embraced a heartwarming initiative, sponsoring a drive-through where turkeys and other foods were distributed. Aimed to ensure everyone had a warm meal for their families this Thanksgiving, the drive was held at Salt River Schools’ Accelerated Learning Academy on Nov. 24, a few days before the holiday.

From 9 to 11 a.m., about 200 SRPMIC employee volunteers distributed just over 1,000 turkeys to families in need, many from the Community. The event was hosted by St. Mary’s Food Bank, which provided the turkeys, fresh produce and canned goods such as corn and green beans. SRPMIC’s Community Relations Office coordinated with the food bank on the turkey giveaway. 

“Anything helps during the holidays, especially sharing a warm meal,” said Community Relations Events Assistant Kym Tyler. “Having a nice turkey dinner with family, or helping other families in need, helps to spread positivity and hope to [families].”

Vehicles lined up along Chaparral Road before the event’s opening. Zones were established in the parking lot to help everything run smoothly. Volunteers had jobs that ranged from traffic control to collecting information and loading the food boxes into cars. One turkey and one food box were distributed per household.

“Being able to aid in feeding the families in the Community means a lot because not everyone gets to look forward to a meal during the holidays. But being able to provide them food to fill their bellies is very rewarding in itself,” said Events Specialist Adrian Sixkiller. 

“Thank you to all the SRPMIC employee volunteers who came out and helped!