More than 80 families in our region experienced a brighter Thanksgiving holiday thanks to the collaborative efforts between the Danville Police Department, Danville Sheriff’s Office, Haven of the Dan River Region, Piedmont Access To Health Services, Inc. (PATHS), and the City of Danville Department of Community Development for “Operation Turkey Giveaway”.
Julissa Booth, Haven of the Dan River Region’s Sexual Assault Advocate reflected, “I did this because of all the people in Danville that I know are in need and may be too embarrassed and afraid to ask for help or to ask for what they think seems like a handout. During these times, we shouldn’t be afraid to ask our neighbor, or friend, or family, or our community for help. None of us got to where we are without a little help from someone in our path, I know I didn’t. I did this to help the families in Danville but mostly I did it for myself. Even though I did this for them, I did this for me because it feels so good to me, to do something good for someone else. And hopefully that feeling can last me for a while, until we decide to do this again, maybe Christmas.” Haven’s Executive Director, Detra M. Betts added, “It’s great to see community and agency collaboration. There is always a joy in my heart to be able to give back and to serve others in any way that I can. May these acts of kindness continue to grow in the hearts of everyone.”
Thanks to in-kind donations from community partners such as food from Feeding Southwest Virginia, space at the Pepsi building, cash, as well as, gift cards from local people, the team was able to purchase, pack, and distribute whole turkeys, sides, rolls, and desserts. The team emphasized their sincere gratitude to everyone who made this possible.
Shani Gaylord, Director of Community Programs at PATHS also commented, “I appreciated our teamwork and dedication to making this possible because people were literally in tears sharing they would not otherwise have had Thanksgiving dinner. This was one way to give back and we’re here to continue serving our community in more ways so we put each of our agency’s information in each bag. Please feel free to contact us anytime.”
