18-Year Huntington Turkey Giveaway Grows Amid Rising Food Insecurity

HUNTINGTON, NY — Before sunrise on Monday, the lot outside Sorrentino Trucking in Huntington was already filled with volunteers shuffling between pallets of frozen turkeys, tables stacked with bags of Thanksgiving fixings, and a steady line of cars pulling into the driveway.

By the end of the day, families in need leave with full holiday meals — the culmination of an 18-year tradition that Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino began when his first child was born.

“We started with 38 turkeys off the back of a truck,” Sorrentino said, recalling the moment that launched what has since become one of Huntington’s largest charitable efforts. “This year we’ll give out close to 4,000.”

What began as a modest gesture has grown into a weeklong distribution supported by dozens of partners, community groups, the town, and volunteers.

The foundation now starts handing out turkeys the Friday before Thanksgiving, often responding to individual requests from veterans organizations, schools, churches, and nonprofits serving families in crisis. This year, 500 turkeys went to veterans even before Monday’s main giveaway began.

“You see the need in Huntington,” he said. “People are dropping off turkeys all day, and we’ll take them right up through Thanksgiving. If someone calls with a frozen turkey even after the holiday, we’ll still find a home for it.”

The distribution follows a drive-through model created during the pandemic. Recipients referred by local organizations arrive with vouchers and receive food without leaving their cars.

“We started today at 5 a.m.,” Sorrentino said. “We’ll be here until seven.”

A growing need — and a new effort for food banks

As the program expanded, the foundation saw that many families needed more than just a turkey. Signature Premier Properties has long provided thousands of bags of sides — stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, and other staples — but this year, the operation also included a full nonperishable food drive.

Local food banks, facing low inventory, asked for help. Volunteers responded by filling pickup trucks with canned goods and boxed items donated throughout the morning. Bags were assembled on-site and handed out with the turkeys.

“This is the first year we’ve collected food for the food pantries themselves,” Sorrentino said.

‘Food insecurity has not gotten any better.’

For NAACP New York State First Vice President Tracey Edwards, the expanding giveaway reflects what she sees across the region.

“At first it was just turkeys,” Edwards said. “Then you realize families need everything — the fixings, the basics. Food insecurity has not gotten any better. More people are struggling now, and that’s why coming together like this matters.”

The NAACP Huntington Branch partnered with the Sorrentino Foundation for the first time under newly elected branch president Ruthanne Cooley, who said the collaboration matched the branch’s mission.

“I’m here because I wanted to help,” Cooley said. “We collected food and monetary donations, and we’ve given them to Andre and the foundation. We’re in partnership with them for this.”

Community partners step up

This year’s partners included Signature Premier Properties, Empire Automotive Group, the Ferro Foundation, Melville Lions Club, the NAACP, and the Town of Huntington. Additional sponsors included Georgica Green Ventures, Cuthbertson Law, the Haugland Group, and several anonymous donors.

Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth said efforts like Monday’s are essential — but so is remembering that hunger persists long after November.

“We love doing this around Thanksgiving,” Smyth said, “but food banks are open year-round. Contributions matter just as much in July as they do in November.”

Though Sorrentino now holds elected office, the tradition’s roots remain deeply personal.

“My family’s been here since 1986, and this is just who we are,” he said. “The biggest thing is everybody getting together. When everyone helps a little bit, you get something like this.”

The event has become intertwined with his family’s own milestones — including one unforgettable Thanksgiving.

“When my wife gave birth to our second daughter, it was on the day of the turkey drive,” he said with a laugh. “We were giving out turkeys while she was in labor. She still doesn’t let me forget that.”

A mission that continues

From handing out 38 turkeys in minutes to supplying thousands of families nearly two decades later, the mission remains unchanged: no one should be without a holiday meal.

“When the food banks call and say they’re low, where do people go?” Sorrentino said, looking over rows of donated food ready to be loaded into cars. “This is what we’re going to do. It’s a big need — especially now.”