Help us help the Kent Food Bank this year
Most of us sit down to share a warm meal with family and friends during the holidays while many families in our community stand in line two days prior to Thanksgiving in hopes of receiving food from the Kent Food Bank. If supplies run out, they will be turned away empty handed. In order to give these families a memorable Thanksgiving, the community can join together in a holiday food drive with the 5th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge from Oct. 5-Nov. 20, 2015.


For those of you who love supporting our community and want to see everyone happy this holiday season, this is a great opportunity for you. Below is some more information about the Kent Food Bank, their mission and the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge.


History of the Kent Food Bank 
Pallets of donations made to the Kent Food Bank in 2014
Founded in 1970, the Kent Food Bank is a non-profit organization that offers food, clothing and emergency financial assistance to low income families and individuals living within the Kent School District. They serve an area that covers 73 square miles with 40 schools located within its boundaries.

In 2011 when the recession hit, the Kent Food Bank lost the majority of their funding for the holiday season. This left many households struggling to find ways to feed their families. This shortage in funding deeply impacted the community and Torklift Central responded by organizing the 1st Annual Kent Turkey Challenge. Over the past four years, donations to the Kent Food Bank from the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge total $56,560 and 16,804 pounds of food, feeding thousands of families that would otherwise go without a Thanksgiving meal and food for the holiday season.

Annual Kent Turkey Challenge
Annual Kent Turkey Challenge boxes from 2014
Every year the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge in Kent, Wash. grows in popularity between the local businesses and organizations involved. This food drive challenges these businesses and organizations to collect and raise the most food and monetary donations for the Kent Food Bank. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this food drive are given to the Kent Food Bank. This year is a special one since this is our fifth year doing it and we have so much going on to make it great. Here are some things to expect for this years Annual Kent Turkey Challenge:

  • We will drop off boxes for donations on Oct. 5-6 and then pick up all donations on Nov. 19-20
  • The Kent City Council and Mayor Suzette Cooke will announce an official proclamation of the Turkey Challenge at the City Council meeting on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at City Hall
  • The Seattle-Tacoma Box Company is donating boxes for this year’s competition
  • Make sure you check out www.ILoveKent.net, they are running an ad and writing an editorial for this year’s challenge 
  • Both the Kent Chamber of Commerce and Kent Downtown Partnership are sharing the Turkey Challenge in their newsletters, so keep an eye out for them
  • The Kent Reporter is doing weekly ads for the Challenge and will be spotlighting the top five leaders of the competition each week
  • Tweet Torklift Central Thursday: On Thursday Nov. 12, participating businesses can tweet Torklift Central and request a pick up of their donations. We will come and take a picture of your box getting picked up with your business and promote it on our social media


Let’s Make 2015 Special
The 2015 Kent Turkey Challenge logo
Torklift Central asks for your support to make this the most effective Kent food drive to date. As a community service, the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge is an opportunity for us to make a lasting positive impact in the lives of families that are searching for hope during the holiday as well as bringing the community together in support of a good cause.

It’s not too late to join the challenge! With your help, we can reach our fifth anniversary goal that every family in our community should not have to go hungry during the holidays. We also want to make sure that each of these families is provided the option of a turkey or chicken for their Thanksgiving dinner.


To learn more or sign up for the 5th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge, call 253-299-0070 or visit us in person at Torklift Central to make a donation at our facility. Join us in helping to fight hunger and make the holidays special for Kent families.


Torklift Central
315 Central Ave N. Kent, WA 98032
Contact Us
877-343-6933
www.torkliftcentral.com