LIVING TEXAS | AUSTIN
Everyone A Turkey Dinner for
One man’s idea is now a national movement. By Hannah M. Hepfer
hen Austinite Richard Bagdonas hand-delivered some Thanksgiving leftovers to a homeless man on 6th Street 16 years ago, he could never have anticipated the ripple effect it would have on him and, eventually, on thousands of the homeless population. “He was in a wheelchair and couldn’t thank me because he was mentally challenged,” recalls Bagdonas. Another man sitting next to him took the meal for him and began to feed him. The experience was a highly emotional one for Bagdonas, who could do nothing afterwards but sit in his car and cry. In that moment, he knew he wanted to keep connecting with and feeding the homeless. “Since then, I’ve been hooked,” Bagdonas says. The next Thanksgiving, Bagdonas handed out two meals and the following year, four. By the fifth year, he and five friends were preparing multiple turkeys. They spent the day cooking
10 Texas Lifestyle Magazine | Holiday 2016
and packing and ended up delivering meals to hundreds of people. Word began to spread about the event – now named Operation Turkey – and only a few years later, they served over 6,000 meals, with the help of 2,500 volunteers who came out Thanksgiving morning to help. Together, they descended on downtown Austin to give each person who needed it a warm meal. Now in its 17th year, Operation Turkey
is in over 20 cities (including Austin, Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio and San Marcos) in five states (Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia). Last Thanksgiving, they handed out 30,000 meals and anticipate handing out 40,000 meals this year. The organization is run 100% by volunteers. “The most gratifying part of Operation Turkey is seeing more and more people each year bring their families to our events,” says Bagdonas.
“It is nice to know that no matter what, the organization will continue, or at least until there are no more homeless folks to feed.” In addition to helping on Thanksgiving Day, volunteers can participate in “Turkey Tailgate,” where they smoke turkeys, distribute supplies and collect and sort donations. The commitment and enthusiasm of the volunteers over the years has been particularly meaningful to Bagdonas. “The most surprising thing [about the evolution of Operation Turkey] is how people explain it to others. It is their passion for our mission and our organization that surprises me every year,” he says. “That little organization that started with one meal on the fateful night in 2000 is doing great.”
OPERATIONTURKEY.COM
Photo courtesy Operation Turkey
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