There was a surprise delivery of hundreds of turkeys for the many families depending on the Monument Crisis Center for a holiday meal this year. The food arrived courtesy of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.
"We kind of surprised them. Told them we had 25 turkeys and there were about 250 in there," said Dennis Miller, a tribal spokesman.
"And here they're going to have their holiday complete because of the generosity of others," said Sandra Scherer from the Monument Crisis Center. When asked if there was any problem finding a place to store the turkeys, she said "Yeah, but we'll find a place don't worry."
The turkeys arrived just in time. The Monument Crisis Center ran out of their initial supply of 100 turkeys in a matter of hours on Monday morning.
In Vallejo, it was a big-time baseball player, New York Yankee pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who delivered the goods to families in need.
"You always want to help out as much as you can, but this has been a tough year with the economy being the way it is and it being a tough time in Vallejo. Just feels good being able to come back and help," said Sabathia.
Each bag included a certificate for a turkey, along with all the fixings for a full holiday feast.
"I think it's great, real great. We really appreciate it and we appreciate him. He's a great baseball player and we love him," said Vallejo resident Victoria Stevens.
"I think it's pretty cool. I mean it shows he cares about where he comes from. It's very great," said Vallejo resident Fred Gillard.
In Vallejo, there was plenty to go around, but so many other Bay Area food pantries are still in desperate need of a little last minute help this holiday.
There is a full list of ways you can help make someone's Thanksgiving special, including turkey donations to local food banks. Just click on the links blew.
South Bay and peninsula food banks say they still need thousands of turkeys for the needy this holiday season. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties has collected only about 2,200 turkeys; that was towards a goal of 10,000 so they still need about 7,700 more just to meet the requests of families who are in need this year. The food bank is asking the public to drop off turkeys at the distribution centers in San Jose and San Carlos. They'll open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
