Vikings players and Thielen Foundation help Salvation Army serve Thanksgiving meals
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For the fifth year, the Salvation Army is partnering with Adam and Caitlin Thielen via the Thielen Foundation to provide 2,000 Thanksgiving turkeys to Minnesota families in need.
Adam Thielen, a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, planned to hand out the first 100 turkeys at the Salvation Army’s Lakewood Service Center.
The turkeys are all donated by Jennie-O, a company headquartered in Willmar.
“Sixty percent of Minnesota families are living paycheck to paycheck, and 8% to 9% inflation makes it nearly impossible to make ends meet,” Adam Thielen said in a statement. “We want to thank Jennie-O for supplying these turkeys, and we thank The Salvation Army for again helping to get them into the hands of families in need.”
Families who are in need of food assistance during Thanksgiving can contact their nearest Salvation Army service center for more information:
- Brooklyn Park Salvation Army, 10011 Noble Parkway, 763-425-0517
- Maplewood Salvation Army, 2080 Woodlynn Ave., 651-779-9177
- North Minneapolis Salvation Army, 2024 Lyndale Ave. N., 612-522-4871
- Northeast Minneapolis Salvation Army, 2727 Central Ave. NE, 612-789-2858
- South Minneapolis Salvation Army, 1604 E. Lake St., 612-721-1513
- St. Paul Eastside Salvation Army, 1019 Payne Ave., 651-776-8169
- St. Paul West 7th Salvation Army, 401 W. 7th St., 651-224-4316
There are also two other giveaways happening Tuesday, during which families can receive free Thanksgiving meals from Vikings players.
FILE: Adam and Caitlin Thielen talk ahead of a Thanksgiving turkey distribution event on Nov. 15, 2022. The Thielen Foundation partnered with the Salvation Army and Jennie-O to give 2,000 turkeys to families in need this holiday season. (KSTP-TV)
From 11 a.m. to noon, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson will partner with UnitedHealthcare to donate 1,000 complete Thanksgiving meals to pre-selected families and community groups. In preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Vikings and UnitedHealthcare event volunteers will provide local families with turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing and crescent rolls. Meals will be distributed in a drive-thru model at Twin Cities Orthopedics Center.
Then, from 5-7 p.m., Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, long snapper Andrew DePaola and the Vikings “Home Team” —a group that represents the wives and partners of players and coaches — will provide a hot Thanksgiving meal for more than 100 individuals located within the Twin Cities. Additionally, there will be kid-friendly activities to interact with throughout the evening.