West Herr donates 80 turkeys to families served by Community Action

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Staff at Community Action of Orleans & Genesee in Albion stand around a pallet of 80 turkeys which was donated by West Herr Dealerships in Rochester on Wednesday morning. From left are Jack Ahrens and Ray Chatfield, volunteer drivers for West Herr Auto Group; Katrina Chaffee, director of community services and reporting for Community Action; Michelle Figueroa, case manager; and Ernie Gursslin and Cameron Richardson, facilities/maintenance staff at Community Action.

ALBION – Community Action got a big boost to its holiday program Wednesday morning with the donation of 80 turkeys from West Herr Dealerships in Albion. They also donated many other items of food and dry goods.

This is something West Herr does every year, said Michelle Figueroa, emergency services case manager at Community Action.

This year the auto dealership is donating 800 turkeys in the Rochester area and several thousand in Buffalo.

Katrina Chaffee, director of community services and reporting at Community Action, said they received a correspondence a few months ago from Elizabeth Hall, executive assistant at West Herr, asking if they were interested in accepting the donations.

“This will mean a whole lot to holiday program,” Figueroa said. “I’m so happy we can help these families at Christmas time. When you look at their faces when they come to pick up their holiday box, and you see the joy and their appreciation of the generosity of the community, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Community Action typically helps 150 to 200 children at holiday time, representing about 400 children. Each family, in addition to gifts for the children, receives Christmas dinner, while includes a turkey or a ham. A single person will receive a chicken.

According to Chaffee, she said news sources have reported West Herr donated a total of 4,000 turkeys in the area. This year, they plan to spend $100,000 on turkeys to donate across Western New York, she said.

Community Action made arrangements to store the turkeys at the Holley Cold Storage until they can be handed out.