Live! Casino & Hotel donates 300 turkeys to Anne Arundel County Food Bank

Live! Casino & Hotel kicked off its annual tradition for the holiday season by donating 300 turkeys to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank on Friday morning.

The turkeys weigh in at 5,400 pounds that will take two trucks to drop off at the food bank.

Bob Tedesco, Senior Vice President of Operations of the casino said the casino has donated to the food bank since 2012.

“This is very important for us to do this for the people in the county, our team members work in the county and our guests are in the county. A lot of people are in need right now,” Tedesco said. “Given the casino’s proximity to the food bank, it is an ongoing priority to support the incredible work they do, to ensure that the local community remains fed, particularly during the holidays.”

Tedesco said a lot of employees always sign up to volunteer to help give the turkeys away. He enjoys turkey the day after Thanksgiving on a sandwich in the morning.

“Everybody wants to sit down and have some normalcy, so to be able to sit down and cook a nice turkey is really important to us and the community,” he added. “The community supports us on a daily basis so this is our way of giving back.”

Tedesco said they love helping out at the food bank every year and what they do for the community is outstanding.

The new CEO of the food bank, Leah Aiello Paley said almost 7,000 families have signed up to receive a “Holiday basket.” If anyone wants to sign up for one they can sign up on aafoodbank.org.

“These 300 turkeys will ensure that we are able to get the food to the families in need,” she said. “This shows businesses small or big that you can make an impact. If you see a need, this is a great way to pay forward for those in our community that don’t have.”

Bappa Pal, board president of the food bank, said this partnership with the casino is great and important.

“This is the season of giving and we want every family in the county to have food on the table and this is a great occasion that allows us to do that,” Pal said. “This commitment from the casino from this long to the community shows they care and they want to continue this partnership.”

Pal’s favorite Thanksgiving dishes are turkey and pumpkin pie. Paley’s is green bean casserole and she said her family always makes fun of her.

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