Tulsa John 3:16 Mission Needs Help Providing Turkey's To Family's In Need

Tulsa’s John 3:16 Mission said they need several thousand more frozen turkeys to help Tulsa families have a Thanksgiving meal next week. Rev. Steve Whitaker said in a typical year they would normally already have around 1,500 frozen turkeys donated, but this year they aren’t even close to half way of meeting their goal of 5,000 turkeys.

The annual Thanksgiving Food Basket Distribution has been a tradition at John 3:16 for years. “It’s just too expensive of a meal for people to buy, but we all know how much you can make a turkey go and how you can stretch a turkey out. You have the turkey then you have turkey sandwiches,” said Rev. Whitaker.

John 3:16 hasn’t missed a year since Rev. Steve Whitaker started John 3:16 around 30 years ago. He said even during hard times, the Thanksgiving distribution always happens. “This provides a sense of stability in family that’s critically important to keep them strong and to keep them becoming who they need to be as a family so they can avoid the issues of homelessness,” said Rev. Whitaker.

He said they expect around 5,000 families to show up and they don’t want to turn anyone away. “We’ve got people that are food insecure, they’re hungry, they’re hurting, they’re struggling, and it’s just been a brutal year and we’re just trying to creating an opportunity to allow those families to sit down and share a great meal together,” said Rev. Whitaker.

The Mission will be accepting donations of frozen turkeys and nonperishable food items such as: stuffing, instant potatoes, gravy mix, mac & cheese, canned sweet potatoes, canned corn, canned green beans, canned fruit, cranberry sauce, pie filling or Jell-O at numerous locations:

1. John 3:16 Mission at 506 N. Cheyenne Ave. 7 am to 7 pm Mon- Sun
2. Under the Sun Garden Centers at 51st Street and Harvard Avenue and 91st Street and Sheridan Avenue during business hours.
3. Additional food drives will take place:November 21, 2020
4. Walmart Neighborhood Market: 12912 E. 86th St. N., Owasso
5. Walmart Neighborhood Market: 1770 S. Elm Pl, Broken Arrow
6. Thanksgiving food baskets for struggling Tulsa area residents will be distributed on November 23, 24 and 25 from 9 am 3 pm each day at John 3:16 Mission’s Family & Youth Center, 2027 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.