CLEARLAKE — Behind the Clearlake Grocery Outlet Friday morning, a huddle of local government officers, church leaders and water company employees came into view of their day’s work as the delivery room door rolled up between them and 200 16-pound Thanksgiving turkeys.
This was the Clearlake arm of Golden State Water Company’s long-running Operation Gobble, a statewide donation program that delivers thousands of turkeys each November to families in need via community centers, churches and schools.
Since its inception in 1990, the program has donated over 240,000 birds.
The men behind Grocery Outlet—among whom were a mayor, a police detective and a church leader—were there to load boxes upon boxes of turkeys (purchased by Golden State Water for bargain prices from the grocer) into their pickups and deliver them out across the city.
Mayor Russ Cremer’s first stop was the Clearlake Highlands Senior Center a few blocks away. One hundred turkeys were donated by the city to the center.
“We try to help out a lot of families around this area that don’t have enough,” Cremer said. Asked why he’s helped with the program for the past several years, he raised his eyebrows and said, “I love giving away things. It’s a great feeling. It makes us feel better and we’re genuinely helping our community.”
In concert with the city council this year, the Clearlake Peace Officer Association is helping to complete the donated Thanksgiving meals with sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing and desserts, said Det. Leonardo Flores.
Councilmember Phil Harris drove his truck from Grocery Outlet to Carle’ High School, where he said the school has identified a group of families of students there who will need help this Thanksgiving, and plans to deliver turkeys to each of them.
The average American adult will spend $186 on Thanksgiving this year—and most of that on food—according to a survey by LendEDU, a New Jersey-based personal finance website. That number tops last year’s average by about 6 percent, which in turn topped 2017’s by a similar margin.
As the cost of Thanksgiving appears to be heading up, income levels in Clearlake are still low. The median household income in the city is $27,034, less than half the national average. Roughly 6,000 of the city’s 16,000 people are living below the poverty line.
But Clearlake comes together when it can, and the annual Operation Gobble is one of those times, involving more than a handful of local organizations. This year, turkeys were set to be delivered to the First Assembly of God, United Methodist and Calvary Chapel churches, the Clearlake Youth Center, the senior center, the high school, and more.
California Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s office is also involved, and will distribute 100 of Golden State Water’s turkeys.
Golden State Water writes of its annual program: “Food insecurity is a problem throughout California, and Operation Gobble has made a big impact over the years, brightening the Thanksgiving holiday for those in our community who could use a helping hand.”
