Wake Forest students prep and donate nearly 700 meals for annual Turkeypalooza

Inside the Wake Forest Campus Kitchen, towers of styrofoam to-go containers tilt slightly on top of a coffee table.

Students write “Happy Thanksgiving,” or “Happy Holidays” and put them in a separate stack. They’ve got about 700 boxes to go. 

In a few days, those same containers will be filled with turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and all the other fixings. It's part of the 18th annual Turkeypalooza.
 
Aryan Pasricha, is a senior and co-president of Campus Kitchen, a student group that distributes food to those in need. He’s overseeing his last Turkeypalooza.

"When I first arrived at Wake Forest, I wanted to understand kind of the greater community outside of just the school," Pasricha said. "That meant understanding what the needs are of Winston-Salem and obviously there’s a lot of food insecurities and food deserts in the community, so I wanted to just help address those issues in any way I can."

According to the Winston-Salem Mayor's Office, about 55,000 Winston-Salem residents face food insecurities. 

With the help of nonprofits like the Ronald McDonald House, Samaritan Ministries and The Shalom Project, the meals put together by students will reach individuals and families in Winston-Salem during Thanksgiving week. 

Santiago Ochoa covers healthcare for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. Follow him on X and Instagram: @santi8a98