HISTORY of the SF TURKEY DRIVE
From 2012 to today
OUR COMMUNITY IS ONE... EVERYONE MATTERS
From a home in Merced Heights to a citywide tradition
The growth of the SF Turkey Drive can be seen in the number of turkeys collected each year: Year 2012 – 19 turkeys; 2013 – 250; 2014 – 317; 2015 – 429; 2016 – 518; 2017 – 495; 2018 – 612; 2019 – 740; 2020 – 1109; 2021 – 1392; 2022 – 1284; 2023 – 1000; 2024 – 1282; 2025 – 1762. What began with a small collection has grown year after year through the generosity and support of our community.
The SF Turkey Drive began in 2012, when Pierre started collecting turkeys from his home in Merced Heights, San Francisco. What began as a small personal effort soon grew into a community tradition.
In 2013, St. Emydius Church joined the effort, providing a central place for neighbors and friends to come together to help feed people experiencing hunger and hardship in San Francisco.
For more than a decade, volunteers and generous donors have gathered on Saturdays before Thanksgiving and Christmas to collect turkeys and other food donations. Since 2012, the SF Turkey Drive has collected more than 11,000 turkeys—enough to help provide more than 500,000 meals.
A community that keeps giving
Through rain, cold, smoke and sunshine, Pierre and his volunteers have continued to welcome donors. Turkeys, hams, vegetables and financial contributions have all helped make the drive possible. And when people could not come to the drop-off site, they found other ways to contribute.
The pandemic changed everything in 2020. For the first time, food could not be collected in person. Yet the community responded generously: donations by check and online increased by approximately 30%. Two special two-hour Zoom events brought together supporters, musicians and guests from around the country.
In 2021, the drive returned to the drop-off site with a simple message: "To Have Food For All At The Table." Donors once again came together in person, while online giving continued to provide another convenient way to participate.
In 2022, despite rising inflation, donors responded generously to the call to "Provide Meals with a Smile." The effort also received valuable attention from the media, including a KPIX CBS report.
In 2023, the message was "A Gift of Food Is A Gift of Life." The drive expanded its reach, including a special turkey collection at the San Francisco Zoo through an invitation from Paul Vergara.
In 2024, donors were given a choice of supporting either the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank or St. Anthony Foundation. In 2025, the St. Francis Living Room in the Tenderloin was added as another beneficiary.
More than a food drive
Over the years, the SF Turkey Drive has become more than a collection of turkeys. It has become an opportunity for people throughout San Francisco to come together, give what they can and remind our neighbors that everyone matters.
This page also shares some of the people and moments that have been part of the journey—including photographs, testimonials, newspaper articles and television interviews with Pierre.
Thank you to everyone who has helped make the SF Turkey Drive possible since 2012.
The SF Turkey Drive project has become a growing and reliable outreach of the Ingleside neighborhood year after year to support the thousands of meals prepared for the poor of our city at the St. Anthony's Dining Room. Please, support this project.
Nerissa H.
I first learned about the SF Turkey Drive in November 2013. Since then, I look forward to the annual food drives held in November and December. Personally, I find the SF Turkey Drive enriching because it allows me to actively participate with my community as a volunteer; to meet and interact with my neighbors who are donating to the drives; and to help my fellow San Franciscans that are hungry. It's a win-win program for all. It is truly a privilege to be involved.
Patrick W.
KPIX CBS Interview - Thanksgiving 2022
