Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?

Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?

With a wobble, wobble, wobble

and a gobble, gobble, gobble

Hello, Mr. Turkey 

How are you?

That’s the song my niece learned in pre-school at the age of four. She was overjoyed to learn the Mr. Turkey song, and was delighted to teach it to me. Of course, I would always mess up the words on purpose so she could sing it again the correct way. It was adorable and a fond memory I recall every November. 

As we wobble like turkeys into this last weekend before Thanksgiving, and then begin preparing to gobble up the bird next Thursday, let’s first take the time to be thankful, grateful for another year of blessings, and remember Thanksgiving is about family, friends, community, and giving back to others. 

In this Peekskill Herald Thanksgiving round up events, there are plenty of places to donate non-perishable foods, ways to strut your stuff in a Turkey Trot, or spread love and kindness with others at one of the Community Thanksgiving Lunches and Dinners.

Peekskill Walks Food Drive (through November 24)

There are many ways to spread blessings throughout Peekskill and beyond. Anyone can help by dropping off non-perishable food items from now until November 24th into one of 8 Peekskill Walks Food Drive boxes located throughout Peekskill. Donation boxes are located at the Peekskill Coffee House, Copy Center & Services, Valley Greens, Benny’s Brown Bag, The Central, Fuhgeddaboudit Deli, Bagel, Grill & Cloud9-14. Donations will also be accepted at the Peekskill Walks post-Turkey Trot Happy Hour on Nov 23 at Slainte from 2 to 4 p.m. 

All donations will be collected and delivered to Fred’s Pantry and be distributed to the community from there for the holiday season. Fred’s Pantry is a service of CHHOP (Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill) where they provide healthy, nutritious food to more than 350 households per week.

Last year, Peekskill Walks helped to collect and donate over 500 pounds of food through the Food Drive.

CHHOP’s 2024 Turkey Trot – Saturday, November 23rd 8 – 10 a.m.

Downtown Peekskill will be full of wobblers and gobblers scurrying down through the streets as groups and individuals run, trot, walk or wheel Tom the Turkey to the finish line at the Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill’s (CHHOP) Annual Community Turkey Trot on Saturday, November 23 starting at 8 a.m. 

“The Annual Turkey Trot has become a must attend event for the holiday calendar – one that the community truly looks forward to each year,” said Cynthia Knox, CEO of CHHOP. 

The Turkey Trot is free to participants donating a turkey, ham or chicken. The food will then be distributed, along with other nutritious foods, to families for their holiday meal through CHHOP’s Fred’s Pantry. Fred’s Pantry, Peekskill’s largest local resource for those in the community facing food insecurity. In 2023 alone, Fred’s Pantry provided over 18,000 local households with nearly a quarter of a million meals.

To pre-register for the Turkey Trot, click here and help celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving. “Housing and food security are human rights, and CHHOP is proud to be able to support the most vulnerable in our community when, where and how they need it,” said Cynthia Knox

For more information about CHHOP, visit their website, Facebook or Instagram page or contact Cynthia Knox at [email protected].

Peekskill Parks & Rec’s Turkey Foul Shooting Contest – Saturday, November 23 10 a.m.

Not to be outdone, the Peekskill Parks & Recreation Department will be hosting a Turkey Foul Shooting Contest at the Peekskill Middle School Gymnasium on Saturday November 23 starting at 10:00 a.m. In the free event, participants will have the opportunity to win a Thanksgiving Turkey. Participants will be divided into age groups consisting of 8-10 yrs old, 11-13 yrs old, 14-17 yrs old, 18-25 yrs old and 26 yrs & up. Each participant in each group will attempt to make as many foul shots in a row not only for bragging rights but to win a turkey. In each age group, one female and one male from each age group will win a free gobbler. This event is open to Peekskill residents and will take place during Saturday Academy at Peekskill Middle School.  Registration is not required. For more information, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (914) 734-7275.

Peekskill Pre-Thanksgiving Community Dinner – Saturday, November 23 1 p.m – 5 p.m.

The Community pre-Thanksgiving Dinner is a day when family, friends, loved ones, and the community come together to celebrate what Thanksgiving is really about: Community. On Saturday, November 23, 2024, Unlabelled Awards, Butterfli Wings Foundation, Mummies Jerk Sauce, The Red Door Creative Space, alongside Leesther Brown will host the 3rd annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday, November 23, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Red Door Creative Space located at 1016 Brown Street next to the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater. The free event is complete with food, music, and community, and in honor of the late Peekskill Police Officer Greg Jones. This year’s sponsors include C-Town Peekskill, NY Firehouse Grille, ShopRite (Cortlandt, NY), Walmart Mohegan Lake, Mo da Barber, the Deskovic Foundation, and Complete Solutions & Sourcing.

Last year, the Community pre-Thanksgiving Dinner fed over 700 individuals. Everyone who attended also enjoyed music, fellowship, conversation, laughs, fond memories, warm smiles and a few hugs. Just like this year’s Community Dinner, none of it can happen without donations and volunteers. If you would like to donate food, food items, beverages, serving items, financial assistance, or volunteer, feel free to stop by The Red Door Creative Space or contact Carol Tia Dunkley at [email protected] or Asia Murrell & Miriam Gross at [email protected] 

The idea of the Community Thanksgiving Dinner began a few years ago when Avis Dunkley,  had an idea to do something different and told her daughter, Carol one day, “let’s feed the needy and homeless.” Avis, who is fondly known as Mummie, and the inspiration for Mummie’s Jerk Sauce, is the matriarch for the Dunkley family whom the Herald featured earlier this year. Carol Dunkley thought about it, told her it was a great idea, but added, “let’s make it a community event.” The idea was then shared with the entire Dunkley and Gross Family including Carol’s dad Wesley, Pernell, Naheem, Idrissa, Stephen, Miriam, Asia, Karen, Sienna, and Latoya who all joined in on the conversation giving their ideas and suggestions. That is how the idea of the Peekskill Community Thanksgiving was created. 

Carol Dunkley then presented the idea to Officer Greg Jones of the Peekskill Police Department  who loved the idea and connected Carol to Sergeant Khalia Carter of the Community Policing Unit. As the idea started to come to fruition, Leesther Brown and Jeffrey Deskovic became inspired and joined in the process of getting the first Community Thanksgiving Dinner off the ground. From that point forward the Community Thanksgiving Dinner has become an annual event. 

“It’s a community affair. We just want everyone to come out, eat and have a good time,” Carol said. “I want to especially thank everyone that cooked, the sponsors and volunteers.” she added. “Every volunteer will receive a certificate of appreciation for their help, along with students who help and volunteer receive community service credits.” 

There will also be a toy/ book drive for the Christmas holiday. If you  have the means, feel free to bring a new unwrapped toy or book along and drop it into the toy and book donation box at the event. 

Church of the Assumption Thanksgiving Day Lunch – Thursday, November, 28th – 12 p.m.

On Thursday, November, 28th the Assumption Church, who celebrated their 165th anniversary in August, as featured in the Peekskill Herald, will have Mass in English at 9 a.m., a  Mass in Spanish at 11 a.m. Immediately following the 11 a.m. Mass, the Assumption Church will host a Thanksgiving Luncheon at 12 p.m. in Father Wilson Hall in the Church’s basement. “We will serve a hot meal downstairs for those who need it. There are many people who are by themselves in this town, or people who don’t have something to eat,” said Father Esteban. It is free, open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend. No tickets or invitations are needed. The doors to Father Wilson Hall will open at 11:45 a.m.  

Don’t forget to tell everyone at the all of these events that you read about it in the Peekskill Herald. Have a great Thanksgiving! 

November is the Peekskill Herald’s big annual fundraising campaign – where every dollar donated is matched, dollar for dollar, by major national funders through our partnership with News Match. Please help by donating to keep this 501c3 news organization thriving. 

Visit the Peekskill Herald Events Calendar Features and the Peekskill Herald Event Calendar to see more local events. To add your event, visit the Peekskill Herald Event Calendar. Subscribe or donate to the Peekskill Herald and receive the most updated news stories to your inbox daily.