Goodman Community Center makes urgent appeal for Thanksgiving donations

Site Staff,

In a last-minute appeal for food and financial contributions, Goodman Community Center says it won’t meet its goals for helping families in need this Thanksgiving unless donations increase in the remaining two days before distribution begins.

Goodman Community Center is scheduled to distribute nearly 4,000 Thanksgiving baskets to area families in need, but the center is behind schedule with fundraising and food collection goals. Goodman expects many donations from food drives to arrive before Saturday, but it still needs over 20,000 canned and dry goods to fill every basket.

In addition, nearly 500 more financial gifts were made by this time last year, limiting the center’s ability to purchase items needed to reach the additional 500 families registered to receive a basket this year.

The 4,000 families goal would be a record for number of families Goodman serves, totaling more than 23,000 Dane County residents, including over 11,000 children.

“We have reached a desperate stage and need food donations and financial contributions so we can purchase in bulk with established partners,” the center says in a statement released today. “While donated canned goods go directly into the baskets, financial donations are used to buy perishable items like turkeys, dairy products, fresh vegetables, and canned goods in bulk (at discounted rates) to fill in the gaps.”

The center is packing baskets now and will be distributing them to families this Saturday, Nov. 23 through Monday, Nov. 25.

To check what canned foods are still needed, donors can visit the center’s website for updated daily totals. People are asked to bring donations to the Goodman Community Center as soon as possible; it prefers that all food donations are delivered by Saturday, Nov. 23 to ensure they get packed in baskets, but donations will be accepted through Monday, Nov. 25.

Here’s what’s still needed:

  • 1,100 frozen turkeys;
  • 4,548 cans of vegetables;
  • 6,170 cans of fruit;
  • 3,019 boxes of macaroni and cheese;
  • 1,955 jars of gravy;
  • 3,428 cans of cranberry sauce;
  • 3,850 cans of broth (any kind);
  • 3,515 boxes of stuffing; and
  • 3,650 aluminum roaster pans.

Donations of money help purchase turkeys and perishable items such as milk, eggs, butter, carrots, potatoes, and onions. Monetary donations also help the center buy in bulk at discounted rates, making financial gifts stretch further and provide more. Donations are accepted online, at Goodman, or by mail.

The Goodman Community Center gym will be open for food donation drop-offs through Monday, Nov. 25 at the following dates and times (the earlier, the better):

  • Thursday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
  • Friday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
  • Saturday–Monday, Nov. 23–25, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

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