VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: The Jordan Turkey Trot gives back to the community on Thanksgiving Day
Joseph Duffey: Boxes of goods have been gathered at the Jordan-Elbridge Food Pantry inside the Jordan United Methodist Church. These boxes, donated from local schools and the community, are set to help people in need ahead of Thanksgiving. The coordinator of this pantry, Joan Scott, has worked here for the last 32 years and isn’t afraid to do a little handy work. From spaghetti to stovetop, Mrs. Scott has looked to help stuff those in need.
Joan Scott: Well, it’s knowing that you’re helping out the community. It’s also the volunteers that come here all very dedicated, faithful people. We have a good time together.
Duffey: However, the J-E Food Pantry is not just helping the people ahead of Thanksgiving but are also stocking up for the Christmas season, as well. A Thanksgiving Day tradition in the community donates a grand influx of canned goods. The tradition? The Jordan Turkey Trot. Whether you participate in the mile fun run walk or the five-K, the entry fee is as simple as giving a can.
Ken Bush III: There’s always food pantries or food drives leading up to Thanksgiving. This was a way to allow, to replenish their shelves leading to the Christmas holiday the winter season.
Duffey: After starting with 35 participants raising 85 cans. The event has grown astronomically with 200 people donating over 1800 canned goods in 2024. Through rain or snow, the trot’s partnership with the pantry has made an impact for those less fortunate. And for Scott, she could not be any more truthful.
Scott: We distribute those next Monday before Thanksgiving. So having the Turkey Trot donations come in on Thanksgiving Day is like a gravy for us, so to speak, for the Christmas holiday.
Duffey: As families gather yearly for Thanksgiving, the small, tight-knit Jordan-Elbridge community reminds us that there is no limit to compassion. This annual partnership is a race this community is steadfast in running. Joseph Duffey, NCC News.
JORDAN, N.Y. (NCC News) – The Jordan-Elbridge Food Pantry has partnered annually with the local Jordan Turkey Trot to give back to the community.
The event in the small, tight-knight Jordan-Elbridge community hosts a one-mile fun run walk for participants. However, there is also a 5K that sends ambitious partakers through nature and different parks throughout the village of Jordan.
Ken Bush III, chair and co-founder of the Jordan Turkey Trot, said the event is not taken as serious like other famous Thanksgiving fun runs. Nonetheless, while the registration is free, the entry fee is canned good donations to the Jordan-Elbridge food pantry.
“There’s always food pantries or food drives leading up to Thanksgiving,” Bush said. “This was a way to allow [the pantry] to replenish their shelves, leading to the Christmas holiday [and] the winter season.”
Bush said the event was initially a morning walk with families to express thankfulness but has since exploded to a community event to help those less forutnate.
Gale Youmell has participated in the event since the beginning. Now, in the event’s 17th year, her willingness to give has not waivered in the slightest.
“It’s a great thing with the Turkey Trot that we all bring donations and canned goods, especially at this time,” Youmell said. “There’s so many people that need the service, so we are very happy to be able to come and make donations and contribute to the community.”
In the event’s inception, there were 35 participants that donated 85 cans. However, it has grown astronomically with over 200 people donating upwards of 1800 goods in 2024.
The pantry formerly operated from St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church but has since moved to Jordan United Methodist Church.
Joan Scott, coordinator of the J-E Food Pantry, is grateful to Bush and the yearly donations to help the community ahead of the holiday season.
“Having the Turkey Trot donations come in on Thanksgiving Day is like a gravy for us, so to speak, for the Christmas holiday,” Scott said. “We are looking forward to that. They’ve done well every year.”
Scott has worked in the pantry for the last 32 years. For Scott, the people she has worked with over the years keep her coming back as well as helping those in need.
“It’s knowing that you’re helping out the community. It’s also the volunteers that come here are all very dedicated, faithful people. We have a good time together,” Scott said. “I enjoy their company and their advice, and we work together as a team to make this happen. So it’s a lot more than just one person’s thoughts. It’s many people put together, and the work of all these people together.”
In the Jordan-Elbridge community, Thanksgiving is not just a day of appreciation. The Jordan Turkey Trot is an annual tradition partnered with a local food pantry, and for those who participate, giving back is a race worth running.