Troop Realty Sponsors Annual Turkey Drive

Troop Real Estate in Moorpark is once again sponsoring its annual Troop Turkey Drive. The drive provides hundreds of families across Ventura County with free Thanksgiving dinners.

The turkey drive was founded 12 years ago by Troop realtor Alex Gandell, who heard through the grapevine that several families in his community were in need of groceries for a thanksgiving dinner. Gandell called some of his real estate clients and asked for donations.

“They needed help and Alex reached out to them,” said Meridith McDonald, one of the Moorpark Troop realtors involved in this year’s turkey drive. “They were just people in the community that were having a hard time. Everybody pitched in and bought turkey, stuffing, all the fixings, and gave it to these families.”

That was the beginning of what is now a much larger effort to deliver meals to needy families in Ventura County. This year the drive hopes to provide dinners for as many as 25,000 people. Locally, the Moorpark Food Pantry hopes to feed 400 families.

To take on this huge task, McDonald and fellow co-chair Maryann Joy Baum are coordinating with several food bank and charitable organizations throughout the county, including Simi Care and Share, the Moorpark Food Pantry, and Foodshare in Oxnard.

For McDonald, she realizes the need is great and growing. “There’s so many more families this year than in the past in need of food, clothing, just surviving,” she said.

The job requires coordination among fellow Troop realtors and county social service organizations.

“The Moorpark Food Pantry and Simi Care and Share give us the amount they need, and that tells us how much fund raising we need to do,” said McDonald. “The fundraising is sponsored by each Troop realtor who goes to past clients asking for their help. $20 feeds a family of 8.”

After the donations are collected, the food is purchased and organized into individual family dinner boxes. The food is then distributed via social service organizations to families throughout the county.

With the coming of this year’s Thanksgiving holiday, Troop has some important events upcoming in which the community can gather and help.

“This Friday we’re going to go to Simi and put together all the packages of turkeys and dry goods,” said McDonald, “and we’re going to get together as a group and pitch in to put stuff together. Then, this Monday, we’re going to get the turkeys and deliver everything to the food banks.”

Anyone is welcome to come and volunteer. This year, Troop will be getting some beefy assistance from members of the Moorpark High School football team.

“We’ve approached Moorpark High School, and the coach has volunteered part of the team to help unload the food items at the Moorpark Food Pantry, said Baum.

There will also be some new families added to this year’s list. In what Troop is calling Troop for Troops, they hope to raise enough funds to include dinners for 300 military families at Port Hueneme Naval base. “We’re doing this in order to honor them,” said McDonald.

McDonald and Baum emphasize that they are still collecting funds.

“We’re still in need of donations to reach our goal and would like to appeal to people within the next few days to give what they can,” said McDonald.

For Baum, the turkey drive is one way to help support families in need.

“We’re an industry that’s been hit hard, but this is something we choose to do to support our community,” said Baum.

To donate, anyone can either call the Moorpark Troop office at (805) 529-2100 or drop a check off at any Troop office in the county. In Moorpark, Troop Real Estate is located at 484 Los Angeles Avenue in the Gateway Plaza.