To be eligible for Thanksgiving food, partner food pantries, community kitchens, and emergency shelters must be in good standing, actively receiving product from Connecticut Foodshare as of December 31, 2025, and consistently meeting monthly reporting and annual poundage requirements.
Connecticut Foodshare relies on corporate and community donations for the bulk of its turkeys. We also provide some TEFAP whole chickens for eligible agency partners, as well as $25 gift cards in lieu of a turkey or chicken so that households have the flexibility to purchase the food that works best for their holiday meal.
Connecticut Foodshare plans to provide turkeys, gift cards, and TEFAP chickens along with white potatoes, onions, and carrots. Additionally, we will offer frozen turkey breasts (bone-in) at cost through our Grocery Purchasing Program (GPP) on Network Hub. Agency partners can expect to see this additional GPP product online starting in October.
Thanksgiving allocations are based on the amount of Thanksgiving product Connecticut Foodshare expects to have available, and the monthly reports for number served that your program provided for the most recent fiscal year (July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026). Our goal is to divide our anticipated Thanksgiving donations proportionally across the network. For food pantries, we suggest that you provide a turkey, whole chicken, OR gift card to each household to cover the main dish, along with an allocation of produce. For meal programs, your allocation assumes that product will be prepared by your organization for holiday meal service.
The allocation email contains a link to a form that allows you to request additional product, if it becomes available. We also encourage agency partners to run food drives and reach out to your supporters to supplement what Connecticut Foodshare can provide. Consider collaborating with other food providers in your area this holiday season.
Connecticut Foodshare distributes Thanksgiving product from Monday, November 17, through Tuesday, November 25. We may be able to provide some turkeys earlier than that, but no produce will be available early.
Thanksgiving orders will be delivered on your regularly scheduled delivery day and time if your program currently receives delivery from Connecticut Foodshare. The allocation email includes a suggested delivery or pickup appointment. If your program needs your Thanksgiving food at a specific time, we recommend you pick up your product at Connecticut Foodshare in Wallingford or Bridgeport as we typically have a 3-hour delivery window.
The initial allocation email includes a link to complete a form where you will be able to request a different day and time. We will try our best to accommodate your request.
Regular online orders FOR PICKUP ONLY can be placed Monday, November 16, through Tuesday, November 24.
If your program takes part in our delivery program and plans to place a regular online order during the same week as your Thanksgiving delivery, you must make arrangements in advance to pick up the regular order. Regular orders submitted without advance pickup arrangements will be canceled.
No, but if you choose to do so, we have some optional forms that may be helpful. For a sample Thanksgiving request intake form that neighbors can complete, click here
for a form in English and Spanish. For a sample Thanksgiving request tracking list click here for a printable form
and here
for an Excel spreadsheet version. Please remember to include the neighbors served at Thanksgiving in the regular monthly statistics that you provide to Connecticut Foodshare. When managing Thanksgiving requests, we encourage you to prioritize the people who use your program throughout the year.
Resources for raising awareness, raising funds, and raising food donations can be found on the Grants and Other Resources
page of our website.
Contact Codi Wayton at cwayton@ctfoodshare.org or call them at (203) 741-9215 or contact your Network Relations Representative.
