Israel Sanchez, owner of Cesar's Killer Margaritas, prepares for the turkey drive while holding a picture of his mom, who inspired the event.
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By Ed Avis
Israel Sanchez, owner of Cesar’s Killer Margaritas in Chicago, knows that a lot of families in his city don’t have the resources to celebrate Thanksgiving the traditional way. For years he thought about starting a turkey give-away to help them, but it wasn’t until his mom, Lourdes Sanchez, became ill that he decided to take action.
“I always wanted to do it, and sadly it wasn’t until my mom was very sick that I finally put all the effort into making it happen,” Sanchez says. “Unfortunately she didn’t get to witness it as she passed three days before the first ever turkey drive in 2020.”
That 2020 drive resulted in 200 families enjoying a turkey for Thanksgiving. The next year it was 250, and last year it rose to 300. This year Sanchez promises to give away 600.
He sent an email to his customer mailing to offer the turkeys and solicit donations to help pay for them. “Join us for our annual Turkey Drive this weekend to claim a turkey for your Thanksgiving meal!” the email reads. “Turkeys will be given away on a first come, first serve basis, while supplies last. There are no signups, just show up to receive a turkey!”
The turkeys will be handed out on Saturday, November 18th from a St. Joseph The Worker Church in Wheeling, a suburb of Chicago, and the Humboldt Park Boat House, in a traditionally Hispanic neighborhood west of the restaurant.
Sanchez says donations have helped fund the event. “We are actively looking for sponsors, but thank God for two major sponsors, WINDY CITY BASEBALL and Fletcher Jones Auto Group, that help every year. We also have friends and family that donate every year.” (Click here if you would like to donate.)
Thanks to those donors and Sanchez’s generosity, Thanksgiving will be a little happier for 600 Chicago-area families this year.
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