CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Thomas J. Henry plans to announce a large Thanksgiving donation to the Coastal Bend Food Bank on Monday, as well as food banks in San Antonio and Austin.
As part of that announcement, Thomas J. Henry will officially announce the end of the free turkey giveaways that have been a staple in the Coastal Bend for three decades.
Moving forward, the Coastal Bend Food Bank will use the money to help fill up pantries for needy families in 11 counties. Those include Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces and San Patricio.
The Food Bank will hold food distributions starting on Nov. 26 -- two days before Thanksgiving -- and give out "holiday food box meals" from then until Dec. 20. These box meals will also include a turkey, as well as everything else needed for a holiday meal. It will be sponsored by Thomas J. Henry.
The annual Thomas J. Henry turkey giveaway started in Corpus Christi in the mid-'90s and by 2015, had grown to include the cities of Alice, Freer and San Diego. People in need routinely showed up as early as 4 a.m. -- if not earlier -- to make sure they got a turkey. Henry, who started his practice in Corpus Christi in 1993 before expanding to San Antonio, would usually give out many of the turkeys himself. His helicopter was often a notable part of the event.
The turkey giveaways have become so popular that the mayors for both San Diego and Freer felt the need to notify people via Facebook about this year's change.
The new donation will be called the "Thomas J. Henry Feast of Texas: Feeding Families Across the State."
3NEWS contacted representatives for Thomas J. Henry and the Coastal Bend Food Bank for comment. Representatives for Thomas J. Henry said he was traveling Friday and unavailable for an immediate comment but would speak with us about his donation to the Food Bank and the end of the turkey giveaways on Monday.
Representatives for the Coastal Bend Food Bank said they preferred to wait until Monday to comment, as well, since this is Thomas J. Henry's news and gift.
Where to find food this Thanksgiving if you're in need
If you or someone you care about depends on this generosity to put food on the table during Thanksgiving, again the Coastal Bend Food Bank will hold food distributions across the region during the holiday season. The first one will be on Nov. 26 at the Coastal Bend Food Bank at 5442 Bear Lane in Corpus Christi. This distribution will run from 7:30-9:30 a.m. or until supplies last. They recommend you call 361-887-6291 starting at 6 a.m. on Nov. 26 to register.
These distributions will continue until Dec. 20.
Each week, the Coastal Bend Food Bank will post the location of the distributions across the 11-county service area. You can also check out the "Find Food" section of the Food Bank's website and put in your zip code or city to find local food pantries.
There are two dozen locations to get help in Corpus Christi, as well as the following locations in Alice, Freer and San Diego:
- Alice Volunteers Services Pantry, 311 East Main Street, 361-664-1015
- Mobile Pantry-Alice (Our Lady of Guadalupe Church), 1010 Beam Street
- Mobile Pantry-Freer, 608 Carolyn Street
- Mobile Pantry-San Diego, 401 East Collins Avenue
Turkey giveaways and Thanksgiving dinners
In Alice, Mi Casa Home Health will give away more than 700 turkeys from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 or until they run out. This will be a drive-thru distribution at 701 North Texas Boulevard. They told 3NEWS they decided to step in once they realized the Thomas J. Henry turkey giveaway would no longer happen. The number of turkeys they plan to give out could grow as the local Alice community steps in with more and more donations. Friday alone, the planned giveaway grew from 500 turkeys to more than 700.
In Kingsville, the Kleberg County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 will hold a turkey giveaway at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23. It will be at the JOP offices at 620 North 3rd Street. This is a drive-thru event in the parking lot and will be first-come, first-served. They have about 200 turkeys.
In Corpus Christi, the Salvation Army Coastal Bend will hold a drive-thru, to-go Thanksgiving lunch giveaway from 10 a.m.-noon Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28 at 1802 Buford Street. Everyone will need to get a ticket though. Tickets are currently available at the same location on a first-come, first-served basis. There are 1,000 tickets available, and you can pick up as many tickets as you need. You can call (361) 910-2494 to check on ticket availability.
The 81st annual Joe Salem Thanksgiving Dinner will continue in 2024 in Corpus Christi. It typically feeds about 500 people. They are currently looking for volunteers. It will be on at noon Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28 at Sokol Gym, 5502 Kostoryz Road.
The sixth annual T&A's Auto Service Turkey Plate Giveaway will be at 5 p.m. Nov. 28 at 602 South Staples Street. They will serve food until they run out, which last year was after about 250-280 people.
While not during Thanksgiving, H-E-B will hold its annual Feast of Sharing in Corpus Christi from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 21 at the American Bank Center.