Reprieve for Turkey, Aid for Needy

After pardoning Jerry the turkey for good behavior, President Clinton began his final Thanksgiving in office Wednesday by helping feed needy families and announcing measures to help seniors get more fresh fruit and vegetables.

“As we gather around our dinner tables with family and friends, we must not forget also those who will be hungry this holiday season,” Clinton said. “That’s why it is so important that all Americans . . . not only give thanks but give something back to their communities.”

In a brown suede jacket, khakis and cowboy boots, Clinton joined children and senior citizens sorting food for needy families at the Capitol Area Food Bank in southeast Washington.

“The folks in the back were tolerant when I couldn’t remember what box I was supposed to put which item of food in,” Clinton laughed. “And the young people there were tolerant when I couldn’t remember how many cans of what I was supposed to put in the box. And we got through it all right.”

The president then announced three new Agriculture Department programs to help get food to those who need it.

Under the programs, the government will buy $200 million more in food commodities to go to food banks, senior feeding programs and soup kitchens; authorize $2.4 million in grants to help build community gardens and train schoolchildren in gardening, nutrition and food preparation; and create a $10-million grant program for states to give low-income seniors coupons to shop for fresh produce at farmers markets.

Most farmers markets don’t take food stamps, leaving low-income Americans with fewer ways to get fresh food, Clinton said. Under the new program, seniors would be eligible for one $20 coupon a year, in addition to whatever their state provides.

In the Rose Garden, Clinton spared Jerry the turkey of Barron, Wis. Jerry will live out his life at Kidwell Farms at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Va., a replica of a 1930s working farm.

The turkey pardon has been a White House tradition since 1947.