The Goodman Community Center opened registration for its 35th annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive on Monday and by the end of the day, 3,322 families and individuals had signed up to receive a basket, 400 more than the same timeframe last year, the non-profit organization on Madison’s East Side announced.
The center has set a goal of providing 4,000 Dane County families with Thanksgiving groceries.
“The past year, we’ve seen unprecedented demand on our pantry services, with more than 300 households visiting [the] pantry each week on average,” said Francesca Frisque, Goodman Center Food Pantry assistant director, in a statement. “Across the county, families are having a hard time making ends meet, and for so many, a holiday meal isn’t in the budget this year. We’re going to need our community to step up and help these folks with holiday groceries this year.”
For the last 35 years, the Goodman Center has provided Dane County families with everything they need to prepare a Thanksgiving meal at home. Each “basket” contains a frozen turkey, fresh and canned vegetables, milk, eggs, butter, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, mac and cheese, cooking oil, ice cream and a pumpkin pie. For most families, this is enough food to feed at least 6-8 people, and the center has heard from many recipients that they feed more than that.
The registration period is scheduled to run through Oct. 27. If the center reaches capacity, it may need to close early.
As in previous years, the Goodman Center has partnered with Madison Metropolitan School District social workers to identify families in the highest need and ensure they get registered for a basket. The center has also made the registration process easy, creating a simple online form that is available in English and Spanish.
“Our registration line didn’t stop ringing yesterday afternoon, and we know folks will be calling all week and signing up online,” said Goodman Center CEO Letesha Nelson. “We’re so thankful for the volunteers who are willing to help field the calls and answer questions. We’re lucky to have the most supportive community around.”
The Goodman Community Center is seeking community support by way of food donations and financial contributions. People who are interested in helping can learn more at goodmancenter.org/thanksgiving.
