Charity food box reality check: frozen turkeys not practical for all
No one would argue that donating frozen turkeys to the many holiday campaigns going on at this time of the year is a kind gesture, but is a turkey practical for the low-income people who receive them?
Janet Hamilton, who co-ordinates the teaching kitchen at Moncton Headstart, has heard of people trying to sell their frozen turkeys and said those stories aren't surprising.
"A person who lives in a rooming house ... they don't have the facilities to be able to cook a turkey," Hamilton told Information Morning Moncton. "They don't have a stove, they don't have an oven, so a turkey to them — it's a nice thought but they can't cook it.
"Selling it so they may be able to provide gifts for their children? Yes, I could see that happening."
Hamilton said receiving a food box with all the ingredients for a roast turkey dinner can be daunting for many.
"They may not know how to cook it," she explained.
"They were never shown how to cook a turkey and it's very overwhelming to make a big roast turkey dinner for your family ... or it may just be them, so they're not going to make that big roast turkey dinner just for themselves."
Turkey roasting 101
Hamilton offers courses to people in Moncton who want to learn how to prepare a roast turkey dinner with all of the trimmings.
She remembers one year when participants were excited to learn how to make gravy.
"They were literally two inches away from my face asking me questions," Hamilton said.
"I loved it because I love when people are engaged and want to learn things and they were so excited," she said. "And when they came back after the new year, they came down to see me and said, 'I made gravy for the first time and it was great,' and I was so thrilled."
Hamilton said people often feel "turkeyed out" by the new year but she tries to share ideas of how to use leftovers.
"It's a reality check in the sense that not everyone is aware of how to do some things so it's talking about how to cook the turkey properly, the temperature of it, how long should it stay out, what can I do with it afterwards?"
The Headstart teaching kitchen operates all year and also brings people together for what Hamilton calls "collective kitchens."
"What we'll do is we'll make two or three different meals [participants] can purchase for a low price, and then they'll have meals for the week or two weeks."
Hamilton said it's a lot of fun learning to cook as a group, and many of the groups will eat what they prepare together.
"It's no fun eating by yourself," she said.
