Turkey Drives

Every year, the Midwest Independent Retailers Foundation Turkey Drive Committee pledges to put a turkey on the Thanksgiving table of families throughout Michigan and Ohio that may not otherwise enjoy this special meal.   

Since 1980, the Midwest Independent Retailers Foundation and its members have provided thanksgiving turkeys to needy families, veterans, women shelters, etc. and each year the list of charitable groups asking for turkeys grows. There are more requests than we could ever fill. We need your help! 

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect, give thanks, and help those who are less fortunate.  We are asking you to pitch in.  A $300 donation to the Midwest Independent Retailers Foundation Turkey Drive will provide turkeys for 10 families.  When you consider that each turkey serves about 12 people, that equals enough Thanksgiving turkey for 120 people. You can also donate food items (canned, boxed or bottled) or other products such as clothing or household items, above and beyond – or in lieu of – your monetary donation. 

This is a charitable event and all donations are tax deductible!  Please see your tax advisor for guidance on your specific tax situation. Receipt available upon request. 

It is truly heartwarming to be a part of our Annual Turkey Drive.  To donate, please use the link below or click here for a mail-in donation form.

Questions? Email Kpetty@MIRAmw.org.

High Five Turkey Drive Retail & Community Outreach
“Paper Hands”Promotion

Help us raise money at your registers and give back to the charity of your choice!

Your business can generate a significant donation for Midwest Independent Retailers Foundation’s Annual High Five Turkey Drive by participating in our paper turkey program! Paper turkeys are a fun, simple way to raise funds while sending a message to your customers and the community that you care about feeding the hungry. Best of all, 100% of the money you raise will go toward purchasing turkeys for a charity of your choice!

Here’s how the paper turkey program works:

• Midwest Independent Retailers Foundation will send you a starter package which includes a poster to place in your store to raise awareness and turkey hand cut-outs.
• Place the paper turkeys at the register and have your cashiers encourage customers to buy a paper turkey for a suggested donation of $1, $5 or even $10.
• The purchaser can sign the High Five paper turkey and we encourage you to display it prominently in the store. Paper turkeys can be displayed on walls, windows, or hung from the ceiling to generate maximum awareness.
• Program runs from September 15th – November 15th.

If your business is interested in selling the High Five Paper Turkeys to benefit the MIRA High Five Turkey Drive, please complete this form and fax to (248) 671-9610 or call MIRA at (800) 666-6233 and we will mail you a starter packet!

Putting a Turkey on the Thanksgiving Dinner Tables of 3,500 Michigan and Ohio Families in Need

It was a month of charitable giving and gratitude in November leading up to Thanksgiving Day. The collaborative effort between Midwest Independent Retailers Association (MIRA) and Midwest Independent Retailers Foundation (MIRF) resulted in another successful turkey drive.

The 43rd Annual Turkey Drive was in full swing this past November as MIRA/MIRF President & CEO, Bill Wild, who oversaw the MIRA office distribution center and went on the road to pitch in with MIRF’s turkey distributions in Detroit and Ohio.

The 2023 turkey drive was revamped a bit and executed differently this past year. However, the MIRF “High Five Turkey Drive” retail and community outreach “Paper Hands” promotion was the same.

“Like in previous years, MIRA members were asked to help raise money at the register to generate a significant donation for MIRF’s Annual “High Five Turkey Drive” by participating in the paper turkey program,” said Wild. “Our members know that the paper turkeys are a fun, simple way to raise funds while sending a message to their customers and the community that they care about feeding the hungry.

MIRF members were given a starter package that included a poster to place in the store to raise awareness as well as turkey hand cut-outs for customers to purchase and write their names on.

Member retailers placed the paper turkeys at the register and instructed cashiers to encourage customers to buy a paper turkey for a suggested donation of $1, $5, or even $10.

The purchaser signed the “High Five” paper turkey, and MIRA encouraged members to display it prominently in the store. Paper turkeys were displayed on walls, and windows, or hung from the ceiling to generate maximum awareness.

AT A MIRA MEMBER STORE

MIRA President & CEO, Bill Wild, stopped by member store Heartland Marketplace, located in Farmington Hills Michigan to share with shoppers information about the annual drive, which this MIRA member has participated in for several years. Wild recorded a video from the store for MIRA’s social media platforms and he caught up with co-owner and Board of Governors member Phil Kassa, who has been participating in the Turkey Drive since its inception.

IN DETROIT

MIRF was proud to join efforts with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen (CSK), located in Detroit, to help supply families that “could use a little help” with everything they need for a nutritious Thanksgiving meal. CSK distributed 100 turkeys provided by MIRF.

“It was a pleasure to work with Brother Gary Wagner and Brother Rob Romer,” said Wild. “We are truly grateful to MIRA member Harvest Sherwood, the official supplier of turkeys for the MIRF turkey drive, for their help with the supply and logistics.”

The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is one of Detroit’s primary community support and outreach programs. The organization is run by Capuchin Franciscan Friars, a male order of the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to addressing the needs of poor and disenfranchised people in cities around the world.

The Capuchins run two soup kitchens and a drive-through service center in Detroit. The turkeys were part of a distribution at the service center, and it was very efficient and well-run. “This is an impressive organization that I think will make a great partner moving forward with our continued charitable work,” said Wild.

IN OHIO

On the road in Ohio, Wild joined MIRA Board of Governors members Jim Evans (Borden Dairy) and Paul Elhindi at Elhindi’s Corner Market BP, located in Lyndhurst Ohio. “Paul’s team was well prepared and executed a very successful distribution of 400 turkeys to individuals and families from throughout the state that needed a little help this year,” said Wild.  The Mayor of Lyndhurst, Patrick Ward was on site the entire time pitching in.

Cleveland’s FOX8 and popular anchorman Wayne Dawson were on site and MIRA received much-deserved publicity. Pepsi and Team Sledd also pitched in with products and hands to help. Harvest Sherwood General Manager Bill Kimura and the Sherwood Cleveland team were instrumental in helping MIRA execute this year’s turkey drive in Ohio, by handling the product delivery. This was the 13th year MIRA distributed turkeys at Corner Market BP in Lyndhurst Ohio.

AT MIRA HEADQUARTERS

The final stop of the turkey drive was at MIRA’s own headquarters. Just before Thanksgiving, charitable organizations from across Michigan came out to MIRA’s offices in West Bloomfield, Michigan to pick up their donated turkeys.

Each year MIRF partners with other charitable organizations to help individuals or families that need a little help at Thanksgiving, which in turn, allows MIRF to expand its charitable reach into more communities.

MIRA staff was joined by volunteers from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and DTE Energy to help with the logistics. While Mother Nature didn’t necessarily help as the rain came down that day, Team MIRA refused to let the drizzle dampen their charitable spirit.

“A big thank you to all MIRA members who contributed to the efforts this year with donations and to the many who sold “High Five Turkey Hands” to raise funds for the annual event.  A big shout out also goes to MIRA member, Detroit-based Harvest Sherwood Food Distributers who was the official supplier of turkeys for the 2023 Michigan and Ohio drives,” added MIRA Director of Events and Member engagement, Kelli Petty.