Turkeys for Needy Are in Short Supply : Charity: Groups that provide Thanksgiving meals and baskets seek bargain buys, hope for donations.

This Thanksgiving, charities across Orange County are hoping for a turkey-week miracle.

A survey of charitable organizations Wednesday found that whether they have received few donations or have adequate supplies for next Thursday’s celebration, almost all still need turkeys--the item that separates a Thanksgiving meal from any other free lunch during the year.

“We had turkeys galore last year,” said Margie Wakeham, director of Irvine Temporary Housing Inc., which expects to feed at least 150 families this Thanksgiving, “and I haven’t seen those turkeys roll down the hall yet.”

Some soup kitchens and food pantries say they are low on food supplies but expect a rush of donations in the next few days for their Thanksgiving basket giveaways and dinners.

“It is typical not to have much in right now,” said Karen McGlinn, executive director of Costa Mesa’s Share Our Selves, which provides bag lunches year-round for the working poor and no-income families. “We won’t get donations until next Tuesday or Wednesday. I believe people are caring and giving even during poor economic times. So I expect to receive an abundance of contributions.”

Because of the shortage of donated turkeys, most of these organizations say the No. 1 item on their shopping list will be the gobbler. Lately, they have been scanning the newspapers for those advertisements that promise, “buy one, get one free” or “purchase $100 in groceries and get a free turkey.”

“We are looking for a store that is offering a good price on turkeys,” said Judy Mader, a director at Catholic Charities Outreach in Santa Ana. “We’ve called Foster Farms and Zacky and they aren’t budging on those turkey prices. We’re still hoping for the turkey miracle.”

So Mader’s agency has received about $2,500 worth of food, including 40 to 50 turkeys. But that has to be stretched to fill food baskets for some 400 families, she said. So if there are no turkey donations, the needy will get a basket of goodies like rice, beans, peanut butter and cookies--but no Thanksgiving bird.

Some organizers believe community-based charities will be the beneficiaries of the supermarkets’ annual cost-cutting competition on turkey prices.

“A lot of (donors) wait to get their turkeys so they can take advantage of sales,” said McGlinn, who has not seen any of the buy-one-get-one-free advertisements she saw last year. “I think that might be a reason why we have not received very much at all in terms of turkey, ham or chickens--nothing noticeable at all.”

While few stores had offered those bargains as of Thursday, several began advertising turkeys for as little as 19 cents a pound with a minimum purchase.

Despite the lack of turkeys, many groups reported receiving generous contributions of other food and money from the community.

Irvine Temporary Housing Inc. began Wednesday to organize the 40 shopping carts of food it has received.

“The Irvine community is very generous. This is the season to give and they are keeping up with what they gave before. I don’t see any sort of shortfall in contributions,” Wakeham said.

But the Southwest Community Center in Santa Ana, which fed dinner to about 500 people last year, has not received a single donation.

“We’ve had phone calls for possible donations, but it looks like it might have to come out of our pockets,” said Thelma Minor, the organization’s secretary.

Minor is optimistic, though, saying that in the past food donations were made on the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Despite reported upturns in the economy, several organizers of local charities said the demand on their services remains high.

“We are seeing more need with families that lost jobs a year or two ago and are now semi-employed or unemployed,” Wakeham said. “There are families who have gone through all their savings and resources and are now beginning to bounce at the bottom.”

Perhaps saddest for Wakeham is that at least five families who have made donations to her group’s Thanksgiving baskets in the past are on the receiving end this year.

A Holiday Helping Hand

Charitable organizations throughout Orange County will serve Thanksgiving dinners and distribute holiday food baskets next week. Donations of food, money and time are still needed. Here are some of the organizations taking part; donations can be made by calling the numbers listed:

Anaheim

* Casa Garcia Restaurant

531 W. Chapman Ave.

(714) 740-1108

* ESA/Ecumenical Service Alliance

311 W. South St./800 S. Lemon St.

(714) 776-7510

* Salvation Army Corp.

201 E. Cypress St.

(714) 832-7100

Costa Mesa

* Share Our Selves

1550 Superior Ave.

(714) 642-3451

* Someone Cares Soup Kitchen

Rea Community Center, 661 Hamilton St.

(714) 646-8181

Dana Point

* Dana Point Community Center

34052 Del Obispo St.

(714) 496-4252

Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services

244 E. Valencia Drive, Room 16

(714) 738-0255

Beach

* ESA/Ecumenical Service Alliance

525 Main St., second floor

(714) 960-2254

Irvine

* Irvine Temporary Housing Inc.

17200 Jamboree Road, Suite B

(714) 250-7177

Laguna Beach

* Friendship Shelter

Bluebird Park, Bluebird and Cress streets

(714) 494-6928

Laguna Hills

* Laguna Hills Senior Center

24671 Via Iglesia

(714) 380-0155

* Saddleback Community Outreach

23011 Moulton Parkway, Suite B-5

(714) 380-8144

Los Alamitos

* We Care/St. Isadore Catholic Church

10941 Reagan St.

(310) 598-9790

Mission Viejo

* Norman P. Murray Community & Senior Center

24932 Oso Viejo Road

(714) 348-2062 or (714) 348-2063

Newport Beach

* FISH-Harbor Area

177-F Riverside Ave.

(714) 642-6060

Orange

* Heart for the People-Mary McAnena

517 W. Struck Ave.

(714) 538-0513

Placentia

* Placentia Presbyterian Church

849 N. Bradford Ave.

(714) 528-1438

San Clemente

* ESA/Ecumenical Service Alliance

1709 N. El Camino Real

(714) 492-8211

* San Clemente Senior Center

242 Del Mar

(714) 498-3322

* San Clemente Seniors Inc./ South County Senior Service

Various senior nutrition sites

(714) 498-0400

Santa Ana

* Catholic Charities Outreach

3631 W. Warner Ave.

(714) 668-1130

* Rescue Mission, Orange County

1901 W. Walnut St.

(714) 285-2840, Ext. 16 to donate

* Southwest Community Center

1601 W. 2nd St.

(714) 543-8933

* Templo Calvario (Obras de Amor)

2617 W. 5th St.

(714) 834-9331

* Victory Outreach

3708 Westminster Ave.

(714) 554-2171

* Salvation Army Corps.

1710 W. Edinger Ave.

(714) 832-7100

Boys & Girls Club of Tustin

580 W. 6th St.

(714) 838-5223

Westminster

* Abrazar

7101 Wyoming St.

(714) 893-3581

* CROP

14550 Magnolia St., No. 205

(714) 373-0436

* Shelter for the Homeless

Westminster Mall, Cafe 405, next to Sears

(714) 897-3221

Yorba Linda

* Love Inc.

(714) 693-1112

Source: INFO LINK Orange County

* WHERE TO GIVE

Groups taking Thanksgiving food donations listed. B6