Torklift Central's 9th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge

• 11,762 poundsFood Collected

  Goal - 10,000 POUNDS

• $16,762Cash Collected

  Goal - $25,000

What is the Annual Turkey Challenge?

During the holiday’s many of us sit down to share a warm Thanksgiving meal with our families and friends while hundreds of families in our community stand in lines in the hopes of getting food from the Kent Food Bank. Bundled up against the cold and waiting for the doors to open, these families are filled with an optimism that they will be able to give thanks with their loved ones and not have to go hungry for Thanksgiving and the Christmas season.

In order to give them a memorable Thanksgiving and holiday season, the community can join together for the 9th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge and help out our neighbors with a goal of raising $25,000 and 10,000 pounds of food.

 

Who does this benefit?

In 2011, the Kent Food Bank lost a large portion of their funding during Thanksgiving, leaving many scrambling to find ways to feed their families. This deeply impacted the community and Torklift Central responded by organizing the first ever Kent Turkey Challenge. 

Over the past eight years, donations to the Kent Food Bank from the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge total more than $158,398 and 55,566 pounds of food, feeding thousands of people that would otherwise go without a Thanksgiving meal. Last year, the turkey challenge raised so much money that the food bank was also able to purchase turkeys and chickens, as well as real butter, fresh celery and fresh sweet potatoes.

 

Some donations from Hanis Irvine Prothero during the 2018 Challenge

 

What has the Turkey Challenge Accomplished?

Every year the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge grows in popularity and competition between the local businesses and organizations involved. Last year alone we had 79 businesses join! A friendly rivalry, 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 during Thanksgiving and year-round. At each of the participating businesses, you can donate canned food or if you prefer, for every $10 donation, you can put your name on a paper turkey for it to be displayed as a thank you for your donation!

For some added fun, the 9th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge is hosting a kids coloring contest. Children of all ages are welcome to compete for many prizes including an electric Razor scooter. The winning class of each school that participates will get a cookie party after the challenge has completed as a thank you for helping with the challenge. 

 

The coloring contest winners from the 8th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge!

 

Win A Trip to Las Vegas!

For those who are over 18 and are interested in winning a trip to Las Vegas – this contest is for you!  Businesses and other participants can join us on Facebook to win a weekend stay for two in Las Vegas (hotel and airfare included).

Here’s how to win:

• Participate in the 9^th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge

• Post a photo of your donations on Torklift Central’s Facebook: facebook.com/TorkliftCentral

• Add the caption: “Participating in the 9^th Annual #KentTurkeyChallenge”
• Participants can enter once per day

The Torklift team will vote on the best photos and prizes will be awarded once the 9th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge has concluded!

We ask for your support to make the 9th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge the most successful to date. As a community, this is an opportunity for us to make a lasting positive impact in the lives of families by making sure everyone gets a Thanksgiving meal.

The Annual Kent Turkey Challenge is not just about food; it’s about making memories with loved ones. It’s about making sure parents can give their children the memory of a bountiful and happy Thanksgiving.

 

What's Happening for 2019?

Some great things that are going on this year for the 9^th Annual Turkey Challenge:

• The Kent City Council and Mayor will be announcing an official proclamation of the Turkey Challenge at the City Council meeting
• The Seattle-Tacoma Box Company and The BoxMaker donated boxes to use for the Challenge. The boxes will be distributed to participating businesses for collecting donations
• Get updates from ILoveKent.net for the Turkey Challenge
• Look for Turkey Challenge details in the Kent Chamber and Kent Downtown Partnership newsletters
• The Kent Reporter is spotlighting the top five leaders of the Challenge every week

On the Torklift Central website, we will list every contributing organization on the leader board which is located below. A counter of the total contributions the community has collected above will also tabulate how much our community has left to go before we reach our goal! We will also be showcasing the leaders of the challenge through our blog, e-newsletters and on our Facebook.

 

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

 

I'm interested! How do I join?

To participate in the 9th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge, please contact Kerstin at: [email protected] or enter in the "Join the Turkey Challenge" form below.