By Kyle Vuille
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
With the holiday season rapidly approaching, the Glendive Medical Center is starting up it annual food drive to benefit the Dawson County Food Bank.
Last year, GMC was able to donate 800 pounds of food and their goal this year is to do even better. According to GMC’s Dietary manager Tiffany Jonas the goal for this year’s food drive is to take in 1400 pounds of donations.
Although donations to the food bank are always appreciated, the drive comes at the perfect time as the food bank is ramping up for the holiday season.
Jean Walters of the Dawson County Food Bank will be starting sign up for the Thanksgiving dinner basket on Monday, Oct. 9.
The Thanksgiving basket will include turkey breast, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries, cream of mushroom soup, green beans, cake mix and frosting.
Walters said some other items she is seeking donations for are more green beans and cream of mushroom soup to make green bean casserole, canned fruits, cranberries or cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, marshmallows and roasting pans.
Walters said the majority of the food for the Thanksgiving baskets comes from the local Albertson’s, but little things like the cake mixes and frostings are appreciated.
Albertson’s will start selling their “Turkey Bucks” on Oct. 18 in order to pay for the food they provide for the Thanksgiving basket.
Albertson’s provides the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and a vegetable, according to Store Manager Kelly Sullivan.
“We can’t afford to do pies anymore so we do the cake and a frosting,” Walters said.
She also said its hard to create the baskets because she needs the same items in every basket to make them even.
“We always sure you have one for each,” Walters said. “It’s amazing how fast that goes around.”
According to Walters, 152 Thanksgiving baskets were made.
Walters also made a point that the donations are for the people who come into the food bank, but would never turn anyone down in need.
The food drive is not only about the thanksgiving baskets, but food donations in general as well as personal hygiene items.
Jonas said the food drive is looking for anything non-perishable and other household items such as tooth paste, toothbrushes, shampoo, toilet paper and other toiletries.
A friendly reminder, the food drive cannot disperse expired food or extremely damaged cans of food because crushed cans make it hard to open.
Reach Kyle Vuille at
news@rangerreview.com.