Area Food Drives Crucial During Holidays

By Heidi Dahms Foster

Two area food drives are crucial to fill the shelves at the Yavapai Food Bank each fall, so people in need don’t go hungry during the holidays.

In 1997, a week before Christmas, three Prescott Valley residents, then Chamber of Commerce Director Lew Rees, Gary Hersey, then sales manager of KKLD Radio, and former Prescott Valley Tribune Managing Editor Heidi Dahms Foster  kicked off the first Burning Desire to Feed the Hungry food drive. They camped in the parking lot at Mountain Valley Park and fasted for 24 hours to bring awareness to the plight of hungry people, and gather food and donations to fill the shelves of the Yavapai County Food Bank.

Hershey provided live radio remotes through the night to encourage donors to come out.

Today, the Burning Desire drive collects items at the Safeway stores in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Cottonwood and Flagstaff.  All food collected stays in the community where it was donated.

This year’s Burning Desire to Feed the Hungry will take place from noon to 6 p.m. on December 14. Title sponsor for the past several years has been the Northern Arizona Edward Jones Advisors. Pre-donation links will be available at myradioplace.com.

Yavapai Broadcasting’s Jackie Bessler assisted in 1997 with the Burning Desire drive, and became involved with the Flying High Turkey Drive 21 years ago. He is still a driving force behind both food drives.

The Flying High Turkey Drive is now in its 21st year, and collects turkeys and other food items for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and food needs beyond.  This year Yavapai Broadcasting Corporation will again partner with the Northern Arizona Fry’s locations in Prescott Valley, Cottonwood, Prescott (Willow Creek Road), Prescott (Fair Street), and Flagstaff.

The Flying High Turkey Drive always falls the Monday before Thanksgiving, and this year’s drive will be from noon to 5 p.m. on November 25.

A fun part of the Flying High Turkey Drive is that fire departments in Prescott, Central Yavapai Fire & Medical Authority’s district, Cottonwood and Flagstaff partner to provide their ladder trucks for the event. Every time a certain level of turkey donations is achieved, firemen raise a representative of the community in the ladder.

The people who give of themselves in both drives are heartwarming, said Prescott Valley Chamber CEO Marnie Uhl. “We hear each year about someone who was a recipient of a holiday meal the year before. They come back and donate the next year as a thank you.” 

Radio stations KVRD, KKLD, KVNA FM, and KQST will participate during the Flying High and Burning Desire drives to get the word out in each community. 

Ann Wilson, Executive Director of Yavapai Food Bank, said these two holiday food drives are critical to meet food needs during the fall and winter.

“The Flying High Turkey Drive fills Thanksgiving boxes, and the Burning Desire drive around Christmas replenishes the supplies after the holidays and boosts us into the new year.”

Donations can come in many ways and make a big difference to a family in need. “Remember that there are a lot of children, so we need food items geared for kids, perhaps who come home from school and parents are not home, and they need something to pop in the microwave.

Non-perishables may include canned vegetables, and items with meat included, such as stews, tuna or salmon, as meat is expensive and often people have no way to cook it. Cereal, bread, and perishables such as milk, eggs, butter and cheeses are welcome.

Laundry soap, shampoo, tooth brushes and toothpaste, soap, razors, lotion, women’s hygiene products, and baby diapers and wipes are also much needed.

Lists can be found on the website at www.yavapaifoodbank.org.

Cash donations are always welcome and enable the food bank to fill in with food items where needed. Donations can be dropped off at the food drives or mailed to Yavapai Food Bank, P.O Box 4151, Prescott, Arizona 86302.

Burning Desire to Feed the

Hungry Food Drive

Saturday, December 14

Noon to 6 p.m.

Safeway Stores in Prescott Valley, Prescott, Cottonwood & Flagstaff

Information and pre-donations: www.myradioplace.com

Flying High Turkey Drive

Monday, November 25

Noon to 5 p.m.

Northern Arizona Fry’s locations in Prescott Valley, Cottonwood, Prescott (Willow Creek Road), Prescott (Fair Street), and Flagstaff.

Visit your community’s Chamber of Commerce web pages for more information, or