Hundreds of Thanksgiving turkeys intended for hungry families are missing after a thief made off with a box truck filled with the frozen birds in Lake Elsinore, officials said.
Members of the nonprofit U.R. Important Foundation were sorting food Saturday morning in the 31000 block of Auto Center Drive when someone took off with the truck, according to police and published reports. The turkeys were intended to be distributed to needy families.
Riverside County sheriff’s deputies responded to the location at 7:52 a.m. and searched the area but could not find the truck, said department spokesman Sgt. Robert Martinez.
The truck contained 475 frozen turkeys and 61 vegan turkeys, CBSLA reported. The nonprofit’s founder, Alexxa Oliver, told the station that the situation is difficult, but she’s maintaining a positive outlook despite the setback.
The U.R. Important Foundation, based in Lake Elsinore, was founded in 2009 with a mission to support military families and others in need. The turkey giveaway is one of the group’s signature programs, according to its website.
“I’m not upset or angry,” Oliver told the station. “This is just another mountain for us to climb. And we’re going to climb it. We’re going to conquer it.”
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