Community members, Camden Metro Police, and volunteers from Cooper University Health Care, and The Cooper Foundation join together to distribute the meals.
The Camden Community Partnership, the Office of the Mayor of Camden and The Cooper Foundation have joined forces once again to spread holiday cheer by providing 1,500 Thanksgiving meals to senior citizens across the City of Camden who might otherwise not have enough food to be able to enjoy the holiday. The effort, mostly funded by an anonymous family donor, has become a local tradition.
“Every year, generous donors and volunteers come together to support those in need. This is the heart of Camden, and it’s also a massive undertaking bringing together dozens of volunteers from the Camden Community Partnership, the Mayor’s Office, and Cooper,” said Philip A. Norcross, Board Chairman of The Cooper Foundation. “This year, due to the negative impact of high inflation many families are struggling, particularly seniors, to put food on the table. We hope this holiday meal brings some much-needed joy this Thanksgiving.”
“This is extremely generous and we are grateful to be working alongside our incredible community partner at The Cooper Foundation as we support the Camden community,” said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen. “The holiday season is all about supporting and serving others. We wish our Camden seniors and families a happy Thanksgiving.”
“Camden Community Partnership is proud to partner with the City of Camden and The Cooper Foundation to provide Thanksgiving meals for Camden’s senior and disabled residents again this year,” said Dana Redd, President and CEO of Camden Community Partnership. “While Thanksgiving is a time for celebration and reflection, supporting some of our most vulnerable Camden neighbors and focusing on food insecurity issues, is at the core of our organizations mission and our resident first approach. We are humbled to be part of this program to support residents across the City.”
The turkey dinner giveaway initially began in 2020, through a generous donation from an anonymous family, to help those suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has become an ongoing Thanksgiving tradition. The Cooper Foundation works with city leaders, community partners, and volunteers to canvass the city and personally deliver the 1,500 turkey dinners with all the fixings throughout a number of apartment complexes and senior housing facilities. Since the give-away tradition began, the community partners in this effort have distributed more than 4,500 Thanksgiving meals to Camden families.
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