Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White again sponsored the annual turkey giveaway Saturday, held at Scotland High School, where he once competed with the Fighting Scots.
Volunteers ranging from Zamir White’s family members to high school personnel and the 12U Sandhills Seahawks were on hand to distribute the meals during a turkey giveaway held at Scotland High School. Vince Bateman and other Church Community Services (CCS) volunteers also participated.
LAURINBURG — For the second year in a row, Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White made the Thanksgiving holiday a little brighter for approximately 400 families from his home county.
White again sponsored the annual Zamir White Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway Saturday, held at Scotland High School, where he once competed with the Fighting Scots.
As the event’s 11 a.m. start time approached, a long line of cars stretched from the service road up to the building by the bus parking lots. The giveaway was drive-through; each car received a 15-pound turkey and a box of sides, including a box of macaroni and cheese, a bag of rice and cans of corn, green beans, and tomato sauce.
Volunteers ranging from White’s family members to high school personnel and the 12U Sandhills Seahawks were on hand to distribute the meals. Vince Bateman and other Church Community Services (CCS) volunteers also participated. CCS Clothing Services Coordinator Barbara Hunt and CCS Food Services Coordinator Robin Monk and her daughter Peyton directed traffic for the event.
Eli Lumens with the Central and Eastern NC Foodbank, the largest in North Carolina, came from Raleigh to help as well. She explained that her foodbank partners with local food banks throughout the area to address food insecurity in the region.
She and Monk coordinated with the White family to ensure the success of the event. They arranged for pickup of the turkeys from Carlie C’s with Coach Cory “Como” Monroe coming to the rescue with a truck, trailer, and manpower to load the 6,000 pounds of turkeys. The sides came from Food Lion. Lumens estimated that White spent around $10,000 to make the giveaway happen.
Lumens described the importance of generosity such as White’s, saying, “Scotland County has some of the lowest health indicators in the state and one of the highest levels of needs. This provides residents with a healthy Thanksgiving meal when they otherwise may have had none.”
As she slowly snaked through the line, a woman, with three young children in her backseat, who wished to remain anonymous, seemed to agree as she said, “This right here’s a blessing! We probably wouldn’t have had a turkey this year. Money is tight, and everything’s so high, and Christmas is coming too. I’m really thankful for this.”