Torklift Central’s Kent Turkey Challenge inspired about 50 businesses and groups to donate more than $10,000 and 1,200 pounds of food to the Kent Food Bank.
The donations will help to feed more than 1,000 families for Thanksgiving this year, said Torklift Central Owner Jack Kay.
The business recruited other Kent businesses to gather canned goods and sell paper turkeys for $10. The paper turkeys represented money used to purchase actual turkeys for the food bank.
“The support from businesses, organizations and the Kent City Council was overwhelming and we could not have done this alone,” said Kay. “We are very excited with the results and I think it shows the heart of Kent businesses and the spirit of giving during the Thanksgiving holiday.”
The Turkey Challenge is a competition between Kent businesses to see who can raise the most money and gather the most canned goods, he explained. Kent City Council created a proclamation recognizing the kick-off of the event in October.
“Several people got creative in the challenge,” he said. “The Kent Chamber of Commerce partnered with Pegasus Northwest who matched their donations, dollar for dollar. Pacific Power Products also matched their employee donations and Pat’s Bar and Grill hosted live entertainment where they collected donations. In the final days of the competition, Torklift Central offered up $3,000 in matching funds to spur competition. It worked. Thousands of dollars in donations came in and we provided the full match.”
The support of the Turkey Challenge is evident just by driving around Kent.
“If you drive by Curran Law Firm or Pat’s Bar and Grill, their windows are covered in paper turkeys, you can barely see inside,” Kay said.
The frozen turkeys and canned goods were delivered Monday morning. The turkeys were purchased from Washington Avenue Safeway who helped load the turkeys and provided a price break due to the nature of the challenge.
Several awards are being given out to the businesses and groups participating in the challenge. Torklift Central is awarding their top donors with gift certificates.
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