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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is giving away free turkeys to families in need this Thanksgiving alongside local law enforcement.
Henry County Sheriff’s Office has dubbed O’Neal the director of community relations and, as a result, will have his help in handing out the turkeys on Nov. 14, as hosted by Tabernacle of Praise Church International. They plan to hand out as many as 500 turkeys, side dishes, and desserts on a first-come, first-served basis.
According to the office, the retired basketball star’s role is “more than ceremonial, [as] he’s fully committed to bridging the gap between [the] Henry County community and its sheriff’s office.”
This is not O’Neal’s first venture into charity. Just last year he was involved with a similar event ahead of Thanksgiving.
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“I’m doing this because this is what I was told to do,” O’Neal told reporters. “The late Dr. Lucille O’Neal, who happens to be my mother, told me to do this in 1992 and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
“We help probably 20 to 30 families per week now, helping with rent, utilities, helping a lot of our children in our schools, they’re struggling as well, and so us doing this is definitely going to be a blessing to them this holiday season and hopefully it’ll offer hope to people [and] let them know they’re not by themselves,” Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett said of its charitable streak.
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This comes on a year that saw the bird flu kill about 5.4 million turkeys, according to the Department of Agriculture. As a result, frozen, Grade A, whole young hens between 8-16 pounds registered at $1.72 per pound in early September, representing a 20% increase from the same time last year when the price was $1.44 per pound.
The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and all are encouraged to arrive early.
