‘Turkey Man’ leads drive to provide Thanksgiving meals to Erie area’s needy [Erie Times-News, Pa.]
By John Dudley, Erie Times-News, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Until 26 years ago, he was better known as a family man and father of four who worked in the information technology department at
Then one November, Hinman found himself with an extra
This week, the
Teams of volunteers spent the past two Saturdays packing ingredients for a full
"For me, it's something I always wanted to do to set an example for my family," said Hinman, who initially delivered meals himself and would take his kids along.
There were times when they were taken aback when they went into homes and saw how little some families had, he said.
"I think it taught them a lot about charitable giving," Hinman, 59, said. "It was very important to me that this remains a grass-roots thing -- neighbor helping neighbor -- because that works very well."
Hinman's small food drive quickly gained momentum. The second year, he provided meals for about five families, then 25 the third year. As the circle of friends and family members offering to help grew, he eventually took the idea to
That's where things really took off.
"It's a very, very generous company," Hinman said.
Eventually, Hinman persuaded GE Transportation management employees to become involved, too, and they contributed about 550 of the 2,265 meals distributed in 2011.
Hinman and his volunteers initially shopped at local grocery stores for items to include in the meals.
But a few years ago they teamed with
It also allowed the
Most donations now are cash, much of it raised through raffles, gift baskets and 50/50s, although a few donors prefer to shop for the items themselves and turn them over to Hinman.
Either way, the meals find their way into the homes of families served by agencies such as Bethany Outreach, which delivered 339 meals on behalf of the
"We try to hit the poorest of the poor," Hinman said. "We continue to see the numbers grow as far as what's needed. I think if I could come up with 5,000 dinners, we certainly would find enough families who need them."
Hinman plans to retire in April. He will hand off the drive to
But "The Turkey Man" -- a nickname Hinman's friends gave him back at the beginning -- promises not to be a stranger.
"I'll help out for as long as I can keep lifting boxes," Hinman said.
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