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LAS CRUCES – Three Thanksgiving food giveaways to help families in need are planned in the coming days in Las Cruces.

Flores, Tawney & Acosta, PC, recently announced its sixth annual turkey drive.

Residents are invited to the Las Cruces office of the personal injury law firm, 1485 N. Main St., Suite B, at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, when $15,000 worth of turkeys will be given away in the community on a first-come, first-served basis. – served until all turkeys are claimed, the company stated in a press release. Turkeys are limited to one per household.

The law firm will also present a $15,000 donation to the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, which will be matched and lead to a $30,000 donation to Casa de Peregrinos, which works to help the homeless population of Las Cruces and relieve hunger.

“Our partners and staff are proud to continue the tradition of giving back to our community in celebration of Thanksgiving,” said James Tawney, attorney and partner at Flores, Tawney & Acosta, PC. “We thank our partners at the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico for matching our donation and helping us make a difference for families in need during the holidays.”

Also on Saturday, Western Sky Community Care will distribute 250 grocery bags filled with supplies to create an entire Thanksgiving meal, including gift cards for the turkeys. Meals will be distributed at Doña Ana Community College East Mesa, 2800 Sonoma Ranch Blvd, from 9 a.m. to noon. Groceries are free for all attendees; according to a press release, no memberships or qualifications are required.

Participants who attend will be eligible for free eye tests from Envolve Vision. Involve will bring its mobile clinic van with doctors and technicians to perform the screenings.

“At Western Sky, we know that hunger is an issue that many New Mexicans face, and if we can change even one day, we’re happy to do so,” said Western Sky Chief Medical Officer Community Care, Dr Susan Lewis. “We are proud to make a difference for Las Cruces families this year.”

Casa de Peregrinos will host its Thanksgiving Hope for the Holidays turkey raffle from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, November 21st. The draw will take place in the parking lot of the Panamerican Center.

Families must pre-register to be eligible. Call CdP at 575-523-5542 or log on to https://www.casadeperegrinos.org/ for information.

“Our goal is to provide a complete holiday meal to families during this difficult time. With inflation at record highs and the price of turkeys rising 13% since last year, we want all families to enjoy the holidays,” said the executive director of Casa de Peregrinos, Lorenzo Alba, in a statement of press “The holidays can be stressful, especially for low-income families, and this is our attempt to make them happy.”

The Pilgrim House plans to distribute 5,000 boxes, each containing a turkey, a five-pound bag of potatoes, stuffing, canned corn, canned green beans and other holiday staples as they become available.

“CdP has been giving away turkeys at Thanksgiving since 1979, when we gave away 100 turkeys,” Alba added. “It’s one of the programs our customers love the most.”

Casa de Peregrinos has been signing up families from all over the region for a month. The draw is made possible thanks to the following sponsors, according to the organization:

• Personal Injury Attorneys at Flores, Tawney & Acosta
• United Health
• Western Sky Community Care
• El Paso Electric
• Molina
• Health Defender
• Save the Children
• Nusenda Credit Union

“El Paso Electric has supported the ‘Hope for the Holidays’ program for years,” said Richard Gonzalez, regional vice president for New Mexico at El Paso Electric. “It’s one of the ways our company is trying to address the difficulties many of our customers face, and we’re proud to partner with CdP in that effort.”

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