×

Torklift Central's 5th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge

Our Current Collection Stats

Contest Goals: $25,000 and 10,000 lbs

October 5th, 2015 - November 20th, 2015

2015 Turkey Challenge

During the holiday season most of us sit down to share a warm meal with family and friends while hundreds of families in our community have to stand in a line outside two days prior to Thanksgiving in hopes of receiving food from the Kent Food Bank.

Bundled up against the cold and waiting patiently for the doors to open, these families are filled with hope that on this day, they will be able to give thanks with their loved ones and not have to go hungry.

If supplies run out, these families will be turned away empty handed. In order to give them a memorable Thanksgiving, the community can join together through the 5th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge.

Turkey Challenge
Just a few boxes of donated food from the 2014 Challenge!

2011: The Kent Food Bank lost the majority of their funding for the holiday season, leaving many households scrambling to find ways to feed their families. This 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.

Every year the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge grows in popularity and competition between the local businesses and organizations involved. A friendly race, the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge is to see who can collect and raise the most food and monetary donations for the Kent Food Bank. One hundred percent of the proceeds are given to local Kent families that are combating hunger and poverty during the holiday season and year round.

Turkey Challenge
Torklift President Jack Kay accepting recognition from State Rep. Adam Smith

Torklift Central asks for your support to make the 5th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge the most effective to date. As a community, this is an opportunity for us to make a lasting positive impact in the lives of families that are searching for hope during the holiday season and making it so no one is turned away from the Kent Food Bank because of lack of food. It’s not just food. It’s about making memories. It’s about making sure parents can give their children the memory of a bountiful and happy holiday.

Some great things that are going on this year for the 5th Annual Turkey Challenge:

  • April 30th, 2015: Torklift Central was awarded recognition by State Representative Adam Smith and the state of Washington for the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge
  • The Kent City Council is composing and reading a proclamation on Oct. 20th at 7 p.m. at City Hall
  • The Seattle-Tacoma Box Company is donating boxes for this year’s competition. The boxes will be wrapped and distributed to businesses to collect donations
  • 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 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

We at Torklift Central will list every contributing organization on the leader board which is located below. We will also have a counter of the total contributions the community has collected above. On our social media channels and through weekly email blasts we will also be showcasing the leaders of the challenge.

With your help, we can reach our fifth anniversary goal that every family in our community will be able to share a special holiday meal and that no household should have to go hungry on Thanksgiving.

To participate in the 5th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge, please contact Katie at: [email protected].

Come Donate at our Booth

Find us at the 2015 Kent Business Expo October 20th!

2015 Kent Business Expo

Sponsors

The Kent Reporter
The Seattle Tacoma Box Company
I Love Kent .net
The Kent Chamber of Commerce


The Kent Chamber of Commerce


The Kent Downtown Partnership

Contest Leader Board

As always we want to recognize the individual contributions of each business. There is no donation too small as every bit helps. We want to thank each of these businesses for their continued support and donation efforts.