JONAS, Pa. — A holiday meal box from the Valor Foundation in Jonas for veterans in need wouldn't be complete without a turkey.
But recently, a freezer malfunction caused a major setback.
"One of the freezers went out, and we had 279 turkeys in the freezer, and they all spoiled, so it was pretty last-minute to find out, so now we're scrambling to make up the turkeys," said founder Mark Baylis.
Newswatch 16 saw the freezer at Camp Trexler in working order just a few weeks before Thanksgiving as volunteers got those meal boxes ready for distribution.
Valor is seeing an even bigger need this year for holiday meals than last year, so the freezer issue couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time.
"It's a kick in the stomach because we had a big surge for this holiday anyway, and we hadn't reached enough turkeys yet for that surge, and then we lost 279 and just said, 'Oh, no,' because we were still short 150 turkeys to get to our 500 goal," said Baylis.
The freezer has been repaired, and it's ready to be refilled.
Some donations of turkeys and gift cards have come in since the freezer went down. But the Valor Clinic says it's still short more than 120 birds, and distribution day for Christmas is growing closer.
"We're grateful the community is coming out because we've closed the gap quite a bit. Some people sent gift cards that we are going to make up some of the difference with, but we'll need another 120 to 125 turkeys," said Baylis.
To help the Valor Clinic pull off a Christmas miracle, you can find details on how to donate on its Facebook page.
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