Giving thanks and lending a helping hand is the spirit of the season and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, that's exactly what the Meriden police cadets wanted to do.
It's a program for young people who are aspiring to be part of the force.
With the help of law enforcement from Meriden and Cheshire, they assisted in the delivery of 1,000 turkeys to local area charities and also took part in writing a grant to help offset some of the cost.
"With that, I gathered up the cadets and I was like 'hey guys I need your help. Each one of us is going to write a paragraph and then we’re going to gather up and edit anything that needs to be edited,' said the captain of the Meriden Police Cadets Leslie Melenciano.
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"The grant helped us buy the tables, buy gloves so we can load the turkeys. It helped buy the banners and a lot of things," Melenciano added.
The organization helping to supply the turkeys is the Hometown Foundation. It's the fourth year of their Hungerless Holidays campaign and the team said they'll be giving out tens of thousands of turkeys to help spread holiday cheer.
That holiday cheer doesn't just stop in the Nutmeg State. "So today we’re doing 3,000 turkeys. The Hometown Foundation's entire Hungerless Holidays program will be donating 25,000 across the North East and as far as New Mexico," said Jamie Hughes, of the Hometown Foundation.
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"Were just really grateful to be able donate a turkey, to be able to donate a potato, a bag of potatoes or donate to families who wouldn’t be able to afford it. Families who are food insecure are our focus and being able to give them something for the holiday season…no words can describe how gratifying and grateful we are to be apart of it," Hughes added.
The Hometown Foundation said the turkeys are quite large and can feed up to a family of 10.
With the tens of thousands of turkeys going out all across the northeast region, the Hometown Foundation believes that families won't just have a great meal, but also a very happy Thanksgiving.
