Thanksgiving Heroes: A promise fulfilled in Draper

DRAPER — A year’s worth of planning, sorting, and organizing will culminate Saturday morning inside a bustling warehouse in Draper, where the nonprofit Thanksgiving Heroes will deliver 3,500 full turkey dinners to families in need. By sunrise, nearly 900 cars will line up to collect meals — each packed with turkey, sides, and all the fixings — before volunteers fan out across neighborhoods to hand-deliver them to nominated families. “This is a tremendous amount of work,” said founder Rob Adams, surveying the warehouse stacked high with boxes, cans and pallets. “We’ve got 288,000 pounds of groceries here. Eight thousand cans of green beans alone. Tomorrow will be a record.”

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For Adams, the effort is deeply personal. He made a promise to his mother to pay it forward — a promise she never lived to see fulfilled. “She actually died the first year we did Thanksgiving Heroes,” Adams recalled. “But I really felt that she was right there, cheering me on.” Since launching the project over a decade ago, Adams has grown Thanksgiving Heroes into a year-round mission. “The food is just a product we use to get into their homes and let them know they’re significant, that we love them, and that today doesn’t equal tomorrow,” he explained. Director of Operations Jenni Griffin works with schools, families and donors to coordinate the massive undertaking. “I don’t usually do hard labor,” she laughed, “but they’re making me today." Right now, it’s all hands on deck. The warehouse has been buzzing since Tuesday, with volunteers wrapping, boxing and stacking supplies. Forklifts hum, tape guns snap, and the energy is palpable. “It’s become a year-long adventure,” Adams said. “My call is for activism. If it’s not Thanksgiving Heroes, pick something and show up — because no one’s coming to save us. It’s us taking care of us. Local families serving local families.” And if his mom were here today? Adams smiled: “I would say, ‘Mom, let’s get to work.’” As the meals go out Saturday morning, the team is already looking ahead. Their next goal: feeding families at Christmas. You can find more information about Thanksgiving Heroes on their website.

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