Fewer turkeys for Thanksgiving

Area food pantries in Rockville Centre and elsewhere say they are facing a shortage of turkeys this year, attributed to avian flu that has decimated the American poultry industry since January.

The shortage has trickled down from farms to local supermarkets, and now, with the holidays looming, charitable organizations with food pantries say they are facing a poultry deficit.

At St. Agnes Cathedral, Sister Kathleen Murphy, the outreach coordinator and pastoral associate said that the church’s freezer is empty of turkeys, although they just started collecting for the season. They need to collect 85. “It will affect us because if people can’t get it, they can’t donate it to us,” Murphy said. “I think will be very high in cost. If people could bring nonperishable foods or turkeys or [supermarket] gift cards we’d be most appreciative.”

Kathleen Kurtis, a Hispanic Brotherhood administrator, said that donations are very down and they were hoping to find alternate sources for funding and donations. Every year the Hispanic Brotherhood supports approximately 200 families in need – which means 200 turkeys. But the freezers are empty right now.

“We’ll have to make do if we don’t reach that number,” said Kurtis. “We hope that someone comes through for us at the last minute. Some years it does and some years it doesn’t.” In addition to turkeys, the Hispanic Brotherhood accepts hams, chicken, nonperishables and supermarket gift cards.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “highly pathogenic” avian influenza has forced the poultry industry to destroy 48 million birds — chickens as well as turkeys — in 21 states, and disrupted the egg trade as well.