If you were considering signing up to receive a free turkey from Manna in Bangor, you need to do it in the next couple of days. Registration closes Friday. And if you want to donate, now's the perfect time!

Manna's Executive Director Bill Rae told me that folks can sign up to receive turkeys through Friday. And, he added peopl,e from many walks of life register, from the unemployed to the underemployed. With so many either out of work or not earning enough at their job to meet their basic necessities, the need is great.

He also said he hopes people won't be shy about signing up. Many people will come back to Manna, after receiving a turkey the year before, and donate because things have turned around in their lives. There's no reason to be embarrassed about wanting to provide a Thanksgiving turkey for your family but, for many, it would mean sacrificing something else. Rae says that's where Manna can help.

7,000 turkeys are projected to be needed by Manna this year to meet that need. Several hundred were added to this year's goal, and those will be donated to workers from Verso who will be out of work by then. As a member of a community badly hit by this mill closure, I have to say a big 'thank you' to Bill Rae and Manna for thinking of them! Obviously, they can use all the help they can get to reach that goal. Donations can be dropped off at Manna, 629 Main Street in Bangor (in the old Beal College building), in the form of turkeys, gift cards, or cash/check donations.

Or, you can help out our Townsquare Media coworker Kid, from our sister station, at Free the Z in Brewer. He's living in the Brewer Hannaford parking lot until he collects at least 2014 turkeys. And it's COLD out! He does this every year and usually exceeds the goal, which is awesome! Drop off your turkey(s) and help warm his little pop-jock heart.

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