Canes To Deliver 1,250 Turkey Breasts For Area Families

RALEIGH, NC - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team will deliver 1,250 turkey breasts to area families on Tuesday ahead of Thanksgiving. Team staff members, including former Hurricanes forward Shane Willis, will distribute the turkey to Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Helping Hand Mission, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Raleigh Rescue Mission and Urban Ministries of Wake County from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"We are excited to continue this important initiative, helping to provide Thanksgiving meals for our community," said Waddell. "The holidays are a time for coming together, and we are fortunate to be surrounded by so many amazing organizations that help us make a positive impact in the Triangle each year."
Media are invited to cover the turkey distribution on Tuesday, which will take place as follows:
Turkey will be cooked and served to individuals and families on Thanksgiving or redistributed to members of the community for their Thanksgiving meals. For more information on Tuesday's event, please contact Lindsay Robertson at (919) 861-5474 or [email protected].
For the second year, the Hurricanes have also teamed up with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to provide turkey through the Assist for Hunger program. For every Hurricanes assist this season, Blue Cross contributes to combat food insecurity in our community.
"Helping our communities access healthy food is something Blue Cross NC is committed to all year round," said Cheryl Parquet, director, community engagement and marketing activation at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. "Working with the Carolina Hurricanes to combat food insecurity, we're giving more North Carolinians the opportunity to be healthy this holiday season."
Additional support for the turkey came from the Hurricanes' Tickets for Turkeys campaign, through which a portion of every ticket sold went toward the purchase of turkey.
This marks the 12th year of the Hurricanes' Thanksgiving partnership with Helping Hand Mission, fifth with Raleigh Rescue Mission, fourth with Urban Ministries of Wake County and Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and second with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Turkey deliveries have led to thousands of donations to local nonprofits in support of our community and help provide full meals at Thanksgiving.
In addition to delivering turkey, the Hurricanes also held a food drive earlier this month to help provide meals for those in need this holiday season. Through the drive, the Hurricanes collected over 1,200 non-perishable items, which were donated to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and Urban Ministries of Wake County.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is committed to making health care better, simpler and more affordable. We have been driving better health in North Carolina since 1933, working to tackle our communities' greatest health challenges. Blue Cross NC serves its customers and communities of more than 4.2 million members, including approximately 1.1 million on behalf of other Blue Plans. Blue Cross NC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross NC online at www.bluecrossnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
About Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina provides food for our friends and neighbors facing hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for over 40 years. The Food Bank works across the food system to provide access to nutritious food that nourishes families, children, seniors, and individuals. The Food Bank has been a previous recipient of the Canes food drives.
About Helping Hand Mission
Helping Hand Mission provides relief and support to families in need by distributing food and clothing, directing individuals to appropriate sources for help, training and educating individuals to help them find employment, restoring dignity, and helping persons become self-sufficient. Helping Hand Mission is a previous Food Drive recipient and has been a turkey recipient for a decade through a partnership created by the late Doris Barksdale, a long-time Canes employee.
About Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle pioneers innovative, transformative solutions designed to end hunger in our community. The Food Shuttle operates in a seven-county service area in central North Carolina, including: Wake, Durham, Johnston, Orange, Chatham, Nash and Edgecombe counties. Inter-Faith has a long-standing relationship with the team. Over the years, the organization has received multiple grants and been a food drive recipient.
About Raleigh Rescue Mission Raleigh
Rescue Mission is dedicated to serving the homeless in our community. Through programming, Raleigh Rescue Mission focuses on assisting those who are ready to make a commitment to transforming their lives and working to overcome the negative factors that led to homelessness. The organization has been a recipient of the Hurricanes Heroes ticket donation program and a toy drive recipient.
About Urban Ministries of Wake County
Urban Ministries of Wake County engages the community to serve and advocate on behalf of those affected by poverty by providing food and nutrition, promoting health and wellness, and by laying the foundations of home. The organization has been a Carolina Hurricanes Foundation grant recipient and a food drive recipient from the Canes organization.