CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For the second year now, a group of Charleston radio stations are coming together to deliver the most expensive component of the holiday dinner table to families in need.
The Thursday before Thanksgiving, 107.3 The Beat, 96.1 KWS, V100 and 98.7 The Mountain teamed up with the local nonprofit Mountain Mission to host the 2nd annual Turkey Drop.
The effort to collect turkeys for those in need to have on Thanksgiving Day got underway at 7 a.m. and was expected to last until 6 p.m. Thursday at WVRC Media studios on 1111 Virginia Street East.
Host of 96.1 KWS Robb Reel said on 580 Live with Dave Allen Thursday while the event was underway that they’re trying to make it an even more successful turkey drive this year.
“Last year we had a great year, it was wonderful to see so many people, we’re looking to get as many turkeys as we can to get them on tables for folks this holiday,” Reel said.
It’s a drive-thru style event where people can come through and stay in their cars and drop off frozen turkeys to Mountain Mission.
Mountain Mission will then deliver the turkeys to families across West Virginia who may otherwise not have the main dish to eat on Thanksgiving.
The event also accepts both cash or check donations as well.
Reel said by donating the turkey, people are helping to complete a family’s holiday dinner table in a major way.
“All of those non-perishable food items are great and Mountain Mission is putting together baskets and boxes for folks, but the most expensive part of the meal and the hardest part to get donated because of both the cost and because it’s perishable is the turkey,” he said.
Reel said money was often tight for him and his family growing up and there were times they had to go without.
Because of that, he said giving back to those in need in this way is something he became inspired to use his platform as a radio host to do.
“There were some years we didn’t have turkey because we didn’t bag one, that is a long way of saying I know what it’s like to be the kid who doesn’t have the turkey on our table for Thanksgiving, to know that we don’t have as much as others, that we might not have enough to be able to celebrate,” Reel said.
Huntington Bank, Caldwell Insurance Agency, Charleston Blueprint, People’s Bank, Cerberus Safety Systems and Method One are sponsors of the event.
Reel said he understands that money is tight on many right now, but he knows how giving West Virginians truly are when the need calls for it.
“I’ve lived in 17 states, I’ve lived in three other countries, I came back to West Virginia for a reason, it’s because I know how much the people here embrace helping our friends and neighbors.”