The Community Food Bank of Mineral County had a different location and a new system for its annual turkey distribution this year.

Instead of having people park and enter the building to pick up their turkey and side dishes, volunteers greeted them at the temporary dispersal site, the Masonic Lodge, collected their information and relayed it inside, where other volunteers loaded everything into the recipients’ back seats.

Last year, when Tamara Durovey volunteered for the event, she had an idea. As the Pep Club, Drama Club and Student Club Advisor for Superior High School, she saw an opportunity to get students involved in a community service project. 

“I actually had so many signups to help that I had to go by their GPAs to decide who could be chosen,” she laughed. “I got it all cleared with Mrs. Gray and we figured it out.” 

The students who made the cut were Ethan Durovey, Caleb Durovey, Cami Quick, Lane DiGiando, Kamryn Church, and Alyza Wickham. Their job was to work inside the Masonic Lodge organizing and packaging side dishes (cranberries, potatoes, stuffing, etc.) into different family-size portions from the Food Bank’s inventory.

Shana Williams of the food bank carefully recorded the weight of each turkey and who received it, along with the number of side servings distributed. This documentation is essential for ongoing grant applications. 

“We’ve been doing this for years and have 120 turkeys, plus a few extras just in case,” Williams said. 

Some individuals, couples and small families requested turkey breasts rather than whole birds, which the food bank purchased specifically for them. Chairperson Wanda James noted that they bought 60 turkey breasts from the Montana Foodbank Network. 

“Singles and small families usually like to have breasts,” she said. 

Recipients had already completed signup sheets in advance, so as vehicles pulled up, volunteers handed out their vittles and checked them off the list.

James explained that eligibility requirements changed this year. 

“Need. If they say they need one, we give it to them. Our guidelines are way looser than the poverty levels. Like most of us would qualify.” 

She added that most of the people picking up turkeys were already active clients of the food bank. 

“We have a spreadsheet with the size of their families, so we match the turkey size and side-dish portions to what they need.”

Volunteers from the Mineral County Rec Club handled traffic safety and food transfer from inside to outside, while Superior High School students packaged the side-dish servings. Across the street, NFB Espresso & Flowers noticed the busy activity and surprised volunteers with complimentary hot beverages which were much appreciated on the chilly day. Any leftover turkeys will be donated to the Superior LIONS Club for its Christmas Giveaway. Dog and cat food, provided by anonymous donors, was also offered to anyone who needed it, because pets are family, too.

So, where did all of the turkeys come from? 

Chris Wolfe, Operations Manager for Townsquare Media Missoula, well known for his upbeat morning presence on Z100 FM, is the driving force behind the Guerrilla Turkey Drive. The event was started 31 years ago by former morning hosts Craig Johnson and Al Kessler.

“I inherited this event that Craig and Al started, and I’m doing my best to keep the tradition alive. We’re fighting hunger like guerrilla warfare — "One Turkey at a Time" — which is the phrase we’ve used for the last 30 years,” Wolfe said.

In addition to supplying the food bank, the drive donates turkeys to the Darby Bread Box, the Haven House in Hamilton, Pantry Partners in Stevensville, the Missoula Food Bank, and the Missoula Head Start Program. 

“We collected 930 turkeys this year through donations, with some incredible partners stepping up,” Wolfe said. 

Line Haul Logistics supplied a refrigerated truck for the week-long drive. Missoula Chevrolet donated 400 turkeys, and Clearwater Credit Union contributed an extremely generous check.

“For me personally, Missoula gets a lot of love with the Can the Cats food drive. But the outlying areas; I always want to make sure we do our best to provide turkeys for them,” Wolfe added. “And everything happening in Mineral County with the new (Community of Mineral County Food Bank) building, the temporary distribution site, the freezers and storage all over the place, and the growing number of clients, they tell me the stories every time we talk.” 

He also praised the Mineral County team. 

“They are fantastic. Every year when they come to pick up the turkeys, they feed us! The whole station gets to share. They bring enough food for a small army as a thank-you, and they are the nicest people we deal with. We love ’em.”

Rose Duncan, secretary and treasurer for the food bank, likes to stay behind the scenes but admitted she prepared salads, rolls, and desserts for the station, along with chicken from Darlow’s Deli. For emergency food distribution, contact: Rose Duncan at (406) 822-2551, or Shana Williams at (406) 822-4035.

    From a temporary distribution location, the Community Food Bank of Mineral County conducted its annual turkey distribution with help from Superior High School students, the Mineral County Rec Club and local citizens. Over 120 turkeys were donated by Townsquare Media Missoula in their 31st Guerrilla Turkey Drive. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)