As Prices Spike, Group Aims To Bring Turkeys To LI Tables For Holidays

LONG ISLAND, NY — With the cost of turkey escalating this holiday season, one Long Island not-for-profit organization is working tirelessly to make sure every table has a holiday bird.

Island Harvest Food Bank, a Long Island-based hunger relief and social services organization, kicked off its annual "Turkey and Trimmings" collection campaign Tuesday.

The need this year is greater than ever, the group said, with the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 expected to be about 12.6 percent higher. Also, avian flu is impacting turkey supplies, driving prices up to 73 percent per lb., and putting an even greater strain on those struggling with food security, Island Harvest said.

According to Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, the food bank forecasts the demand for 18,500 turkeys and tens of thousands of pounds of trimmings necessary to complete a holiday-style meal for Long Islanders coping with food insecurity. By comparison, 16,891 turkeys were collected and distributed across Nassau and Suffolk counties last year by Island Harvest, she said.

With the inflation rate at a 40-year high, and the cost of food in the grocery stores up over 11 percent compared to last year, many Long Islanders are turning to local food banks and other feeding programs to help put food on their tables, including frozen turkeys, Island Harvest said.

Prices for everyday grocery such as bread have increased by 16.2 percent, eggs by 39.8 percent, milk by 17 percent and fruits and vegetables by 9.4 percent, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates.

United States Department of Agriculture data indicated that in October, the price per pound for an 8 to 16 lb. turkey was up 73 percent, $1.99 per pound compared to $1.15 per pound in October, 2021, Island Harvest said.

And, at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the price of Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people cost $46.90, the group said. In 2021, there was a 14 percent increase, or $6.41, to $53.31. And in 2022, that same dinner is expected to cost around $61, a 12.6 percent increase, the group said.

Island Harvest’s Turkey and Trimmings Collection Campaign, which runs from November 1 to December 30, encourages Long Islanders to donate turkeys and all the trimmings necessary to complete a traditional holiday meal for neighbors who are struggling. Numerous collection events will be held across Long Island at supermarkets, schools, places of worship, and other locations.

Items needed include frozen turkeys, chickens, or hams, nonperishable products such as stuffing, canned yams, cranberry sauce, and other canned goods. In addition, personal care items including soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc., are also welcome. Supermarket gift cards and monetary contributions are accepted, too. For a schedule of food collection events or to start a food drive, click here.

“Long Islanders have always stepped up to help their neighbors in need,” said Shubin Dresner. “We understand that so many families are struggling to make ends meet, so we are grateful for any donation they can afford so that we can help the most vulnerable among us can share the warmth and joy of a traditional holiday-style meal with their loved ones.”