Servants For Hope preparing 8th annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway on Chicago's South Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's the season of giving, and it takes a lot of work to make all the charitable works happen around the Chicago area.
An Englewood organizer who wants to be a positive change for his community took CBS News Chicago behind the scenes of his group's annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway.
A shopping cart simply won't do for Deontae Tanner's Thanksgiving haul.
"You got over 1,000 boxes of Jiffy mix. You got over 1,500 canned goods. You got over 700 turkeys," he said.
With just days to go, he's been going store to store to ensure the turkeys and other Thanksgiving essentials are ready to go for this weekend.
"This is the fun part. This is the part not everybody don't see, but it's the part that I enjoy the most," he said.
Tanner's homegrown organization, Servants For Hope, is putting the final touches on its massive 8th annual food giveaway on Saturday at Englewood STEM High School.
"It's on us to be the change that we want to see in our communities," Tanner said.
Servants of Hope helps those facing food insecurity. Tanner said, as a kid growing up in Englewood, he can relate—it's in part why he started the giveaway.
"It hits different when you know that you came from this struggle. You made it out, but you didn't just continue on with your life – you actually turned around and reached back," he said.
Lawrence Green grew up with Tanner, and this is his first year volunteering at the turkey giveaway.
"When you're just serving your community, and you're being part of something productive, and you're giving back, spreading love and joy, it's nothing like that," he said.
As long as there's a need, Tanner said he will continue to feed his community.
"I might not look like I'm smiling, but my heart is glad," he said. "I look forward to doing the work until the work don't need to be done anymore."
It's not too late to help out. Servants of Hope is still collecting donations, and if you are in need of a Thanksgiving meal, you can sign up on the organization's website, or simply show up at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Englewood STEM High School at 68th and Normal.
