KCOY Turkey Drive a big success thanks to generous community support

The annual KCOY Turkey Drive proved once again be a big success.

Over the course of the day, donations rolled in throughout the Central Coast at five drop-off locations.

Preliminary numbers show 550 were collected at two northern Santa Barbara County locations, while 350 turkeys came in at three San Luis Obispo County sites. Cash donations combined totaled more than $25,000.

Turkeys collected in Santa Maria benefit clients of Good Samaritan Shelter, while those in San Luis Obispo County go to the Food Bank Coalition of SLO County.

Starting at 6 a.m., donations poured in from families, individuals, groups, schools, churches and other organizations.

For many, contributing to the Turkey Drive is an annual tradition.

In Santa Maria, at the KCOY studio, several local clubs took part, including the Central Coast Corvette Club, Bent Axles Car Club, Central Coast Raider Nation and many more.

For the first time, Grocery Outlet in Lompoc served as a drop-off location.

Lompoc residents have long supported the effort and this year was no different.

In San Luis Obispo, 100 turkeys were donated by Golden State Water Company. The generous donation is headed to the Lions Clubs and the Kings Cupboard pantry in Los Osos.

For the second straight year, the Atascadero Vons was the spot in northern San Luis Obispo County.

Just like last year, the busy location drew a number of donations, including turkeys, non-perishable food and monetary contributions.

Live radio broadcasts by Dimes Media family of stations, including WILD 106, 95.3 The Beach, B98.5, Alt 93.7 and KPIG, highlighted the Pismo Beach location.

With the turkeys now collected, they’ll soon be distributed to hundreds of families and individuals in need throughout the Central Coast.

In addition to their own clients, both Good Samaritan and Food Bank will also share the donations with several other local non-profit organizations.

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of so many on the Central Coast, the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday will be one of appreciation and gratitude!