No turkey on turkey day

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis tradition will look slightly different this year.

Due to the cost and possible shortage of turkey this year, the Mozel Sanders Foundation has announced their annual Thanksgiving meals will feature chicken this year.

A spokesperson for the foundation says they are still excited to serve meals but the cost of the meat and worry about possible shortages due to bird flu and supply chain issues led to the decision.

"We could have gone ahead and gone with the turkey, but we would have been at not have been able to serve as many individuals or individual families this year, because just the cost was just way more than what we had budgeted," Dawn Jordan Jones with the Mozel Sanders Foundation said. "We just decided to shift to chicken and that will allow us to be able to maintain that level of numbers of families that we can deliver and serve this year."

This is the 51st year for the dinner and the foundation expects to serve 10,000 meals. Side items include green beans, stuffing, a roll and dessert.

Jones says they hope to return to serving turkey next year.

This year, there will be no sit-down meals but there will be two separate locations to pick-up hot meals.

The locations are 1301 Goodlet Avenue at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and 401 N. Delaware Street at Roberts Park United Methodist Church.

The dinner order hotline is open 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. through November 11 at 317-636-7985.

The foundation is still seeking many volunteers and donations. Volunteers can help with preparing or plating the meals, while others are needed to drive and deliver the meals. To donate or volunteer, call the number listed above and follow the prompts.

For more information or to sign up to get a meal, click here.