The Salvation Army Reading Corps kicked off its Annual Red Kettle Campaign Tuesday with their Annual Thanksgiving Food Distribution, distributing hundreds of turkeys and meal boxes to local families in need.
Team members from the Reading Hospital Nutrition Services Department and Michelle Trupp, MSN, RN, CEN, Chief Operating Officer for Reading Hospital, volunteered to distribute 500 Thanksgiving turkeys, each weighing between 10-to-16-pounds.
“We are proud to partner with The Salvation Army to ensure individuals in our community have a warm meal to enjoy with their family,” said Charles F. Barbera, MD, Reading Hospital president and CEO. “I’d like to extend a special thanks to our Nutrition Services team who organized our participation in this important event.”
The Reading Hospital Nutrition Services staff enjoys giving back to the community by helping others, and the distribution event allows them one way to pay it forward. Every year, the team begins “talking turkey” in February to reserve the necessary quantity of items and ingredients, and the official order is placed in August.
“Making sure people are well nourished is part of the mission of the Nutrition Services team,” said Rachael Wehn, MA, RDN, LDN, Director, Nutrition Services. “We especially enjoy this opportunity to provide families with the supplies needed to make a nutritious and well-balanced meal.”
The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign is the largest annual fundraising event for the non-profit. This year, the Reading Corps aims to assist 4,000 individuals, including children, seniors and veterans.
To achieve this goal, The Corps is asking the community to support its Red Kettle Campaign with donations, which will allow the Corps to process, pack ad distribute over 28,000 individual toys or essential items, bringing smiles and moments of joy to those who need it most this holiday season and beyond.
