Stew Leonard's Donates Thousands Of Turkeys To Community Groups

NORWALK, CT — Local firefighters, first responders, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling and his wife, Lucia Rilling, and employees at the Norwalk Stew Leonard's handed out hundreds of free turkeys Thursday as part of the grocery store's 41st annual Thanksgiving Turkey Brigade.

The turkeys were given to 32 churches, synagogues and community organizations from lower Fairfield County, which will then give them to families who are experiencing food insecurity, a problem exacerbated this year by the coronavirus pandemic.

Companywide, Stew Leonard's will give away 3,000 turkeys from its seven grocery stores, about 700 of which were given out at the Norwalk store on Thursday.

"This year especially, with the pandemic, we feel fortunate that we're open and able to provide this to the community," Beth Leonard, Stew Leonard Sr.'s daughter, told Patch.

The turkeys were trucked to the store from a supplier in Pennsylvania, and firefighters and first responders placed them into vehicles driven by representatives from the various charity agencies from the area. All of it was done with pandemic safety protocols in place, with everyone wearing masks, and the turkeys being placed in trunks and the backs of pickup trucks and vans.

"This year has been particularly hard for a lot of families because of COVID-19," Leonard said. "Food pantries are low on supplies as a result of the increased demand, so we're proud to be able to help out any way that we can."

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.