Turkey Basket 2018: RWU Fundraiser Celebrates its Thirteenth Year

Volunteers help load the baskets into a truck to be delivered to families in need.

2018 marks the thirteenth consecutive year that the Feinstein Center has sponsored the Turkey Basket event here at Roger Williams University. The event involves many clubs, organizations and departments around campus competing against each other for a great cause. This year, each team was required to design a Thanksgiving food basket that would be donated to the East Bay Food Pantry & Thrift Shop– which is located in Bristol, Rhode Island. East Bay Food Panty’s mission is to “engage, educate and empower the East Bay in creating a hunger-free community.” They have been serving the local community since 2009 and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Providing Above & Beyond

Over 40 submissions of baskets were entered in this year’s Turkey Basket competition. The requirements included a minimum of a complete thanksgiving meal and a gift card to purchase a turkey. Many submissions went above and beyond this requirement, with some entries providing up to a week’s worth of groceries. Other inclusions included candles, tableware, decorations, toys and more!

All Aboard the RWU Express

This year’s contest featured two category winners. The winner for the highest quantity basket went to the Bon Appetite Dining Employees. Their Basket(s), featured below, were crafted into the “RWU EXPRESS.” Each cart of the train was sponsored by a different food outlet on campus, with all the items purchased by the workers directly (none of the food was taken from the RWU pantry). Cereal, snacks, serving plates and more rounded out this massive basket entry and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results!

Bon Appetite Dining Employees won quantity for this year's Turkey Basket Competition

Creativity & Runner-Up

The second winner of our contest was for the most creative basket. The Financial Aid Office took the crown with this entry, a basket that featured a Mac Truck with working lights and sound effects (pictured below).

A food drive, literally. Financial Aid Office won most creative.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to the Bursar’s Office basket, which featured a parade of Pilgrim women:

Honorable Mention: Bursar’s Office

The Turkey Basket event was a massive success and it ended with students from the Community Partnership Center (CPC) loading up the truck with all of the baskets. The baskets were then transported to the East Bay Food Pantry for donations. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making 2018’s Turkey Basket contest one of the best yet!

2018 Turkey Basket Competition: most successful one yet.

written by: Adam Kelly