The 8th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge has ended, and organizers announced a cumulative total of more than $150,000 and 50,000 pounds of food raised over the past eight years.

To help feed families during Thanksgiving, Torklift Central and participating businesses for the Kent Turkey Challenge helped the Kent Food Bank during the holiday season.

Over the past eight years, the Annual Kent Turkey Challenge has raised $158,398 and 55,566 pounds of food.

This year’s fundraiser ran from Oct. 13 – Nov. 12, 2018.

“We are grateful to facilitate the Kent Turkey Challenge and see the outpouring of their generous donations,” said Torklift Central owner Jack Kay. “We are incredibly humbled by the amount of donations we’ve helped collect over the past eight years.”

One hundred percent of the donations go to the Kent Food Bank. For every $10 donation, the Food Bank reports it can feed a family of four for four days. This year, the Kent Food Bank reported they were able to feed over 600 families, which is more than 1,700 people, and give them full Thanksgiving meals.

Top five local monetary donors are Eberle Vivian with $4,000, Pegasus Northwest Inc. with $2,000, Kent United Methodist Church with $2,000, Shannon and Associates with $2,000 and Chateau at Valley Center, residents and employees with $1,000.

Top five winners of food donations are Plemmons Industries with 5,236 items, Sunrise Elementary School with 4,313 items, Seattle/Tacoma KOA with 1,259 items, Grass Lake Elementary School with 1,119 items and Seattle Mabuhay Lions Club with 992 items.

“The Annual Kent Turkey Challenge is a wonderful drive bringing together our community to provide holiday food for hundreds of families each year. Because of the drive and its success, the Kent Food Bank has been able to eliminate our pre-registration and can sign families up during the food distribution days,” said Jeniece Choate, Executive Director of the Kent Food Bank. “Before the drive began eight years ago, the food bank distributed mostly canned food items and very few turkeys. Now we have fresh produce, butter, milk, eggs and turkeys for everyone.”
To see the complete list of business donations for the 8th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge, visit https://torkliftcentral.com/turkey.

Here are some photos courtesy Torklift:

Brier Dehnert with Torklift Central dropping off donations to the Kent Food Bank during the Kent Turkey Challenge Fundraiser
Camico Rivon, assistant director of the Kent Food Bank, Jeniece Choate, executive director of the Kent Food Bank and Torklift Central employee Kerstin Stokes sort through donations collected during the Kent Turkey Challenge at the Kent Food Bank.
A Kent Food Bank volunteer sorts donations collected during the Kent Turkey Challenge at the Kent Food Bank.
Torklift Central employee Brier Dehnert unloads donations collected during the Kent Turkey Challenge at the Kent Food Bank.
Camico Rivon, assistant director of the Kent Food Bank, begins sorting through 8th Annual Kent Turkey Challenge donations at the Kent Food Bank.

“Thank you again to everyone who participated and helped make this event incredibly successful!”

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