Charlotte Rescue Mission is asking the community to help close a major gap before its annual Thanksgiving food drive reaches collection weekend.

In a Nov. 4 update, the organization reported that it was still short 1,556 Thanksgiving boxes and 3,123 turkeys.

The drive has grown dramatically since it began 14 years ago with 40 meals for families in the Reid Park community.

Last year, the effort helped feed more than 6,600 families.

How the Thanksgiving boxes are used

Each box is designed to provide a complete Thanksgiving meal for a family of four, with a turkey distributed alongside it.

Charlotte Rescue Mission says the boxes and turkeys are distributed through 22 nonprofit agencies and 11 Title I schools.

The Mission does not distribute the boxes directly to individual households through this drive.

Collection days are coming up quickly

The current collection dates are Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21.

Charlotte Rescue Mission is encouraging donors to contact the organization for the current box contents, turkey guidance and delivery instructions before assembling a donation.

The Mission lists tgiving@crmclt.org and Thanksgiving@charlotterescuemission.org as contacts for the drive.

Why this effort is different

The food drive is not only an external community-service project.

Residents participating in Charlotte Rescue Mission’s recovery programs also help collect and distribute the boxes and turkeys.

The organization describes that participation as an opportunity for residents to serve the community while continuing their own recovery journeys.

How people can support

The most direct way to help is to sponsor or assemble a Thanksgiving meal box, donate a frozen turkey or organize a collection through a workplace, church, neighborhood or civic group.

Because the organization is still reporting a significant turkey shortage, donors who cannot assemble a full box can still ask the Mission about contributing turkeys separately.

If your organization wants to participate, contact the Mission before collection weekend so your donation matches the current needs and delivery instructions.

Read the latest community update for the reported box and turkey shortage and collection information.

You can also support Charlotte Rescue Mission directly through its Thanksgiving donation page.

Use these links to verify the current need and support the Thanksgiving drive directly.

Latest Charlotte Rescue Mission Thanksgiving Update

See the reported box and turkey shortage, collection dates and contact information.

Charlotte Rescue Mission Thanksgiving Donation Page

Go directly to the Mission's Thanksgiving giving page to support the drive.