Tailgate for turkeys: Penn State fans donate Thanksgiving meals to food bank
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Penn State fans donated $2,500 worth of groceries to the State College Food Bank.
- The donations included enough food to assemble at least 80 Thanksgiving dinners.
- The State College Food Bank has seen demand grow this year and around the holidays.
A seasonlong effort from a dedicated group of Penn State tailgaters culminated with the donation of hundreds of pounds of food to those in need.
A pair of dedicated Nittany Lions fans rolled up their sleeves Monday at the Westerly Parkway Weis grocery store to pack a State College Food Bank van with hundreds of items that will provide Thanksgiving dinners to local families. They represented the Cherry Tailgate Group, a collection of 10 families and countless friends who host one of the largest tailgates to grace Beaver Stadium’s lots each football weekend.
The Cherry Tailgate Group began its now-annual food bank drive after it won the Weis “Tailgate of the Game” sweepstakes for the final game of the 2023 season and earned a $500 gift card to the store. Some tailgate members pooled money together to send $600 worth of groceries to the State College Food Bank, setting the stage for what would become a recurring opportunity to pay it forward for families in need.
Following a successful initial effort, the Cherry Tailgate Group worked throughout the 2024 season to collect about $1,700 to donate to the food bank. The goal grew again in 2025, when members pooled together to send more than $2,500 worth of groceries to the food bank in time for Thanksgiving.
“We set a goal for ourselves when we wondered if we could double those efforts,” longtime tailgate member David Glickman told the Centre Daily Times. “Now, we’re thinking about how we can top it again for next year.”
The Cherry Tailgate Group’s latest donation included enough food to assemble at least 80 full dinners that include a turkey, a 5-pound bag of potatoes, stuffing, gravy, canned corn and canned green beans. This year’s drive also donated an additional 20 turkeys to the shelter, adding a bit more length to the group’s comically long receipt.
Glickman said the tailgate group worked harder to organize funds and donations for the food bank following a year that left many struggling to put food on the table.
“This year, from the government shutdown and a lot of high prices, we know the food bank has almost double the usual need from families,” Glickman said. “We’re happy to be feeding almost twice as many people as in previous years.”
Organizing funds for the food drive was made easy thanks to the generosity of the Cherry Tailgate Group’s members and visitors, Glickman said.
Instead of bringing snacks or party supplies, guests were encouraged to put a few dollars in a jug collecting cash for the upcoming Thanksgiving donation. One of the group’s more creative fundraisers invited passersby to donate a dollar before dunking a stuffed toy duck into a basketball hoop ahead of the Nittany Lions’ White Out game against the Oregon Ducks.
Tess Clapper, another longtime tailgate member, said the group’s close-knit ties made organizing the food drive possible.
“All of us at the tailgate, we just want to give back,” Clapper said. “I always ask, ‘How much is enough?’ We like to think about what else we can do for those who need help.”
The Cherry Tailgate Group has grown over the years, according to Glickman and Clapper, who have been members for about 25 and 15 years, respectively. The tailgate continually adds new members as its crew makes friends with neighbors in Lot 32 and pairs them with longtime fans — including at least one who hasn’t missed a game at Beaver Stadium since the 1970s. Its core membership totals about 75 people, but their bigger tailgates can host nearly 200 fans.
Each football weekend, Cherry Tailgate Group members drive to Lot 32 from State College’s Texas Roadhouse to ensure they park next to each other in their favorite spots. Some members even feed lot workers to begin a long day of tailgating.
Generosity is a common characteristic of Penn State’s tailgaters, Clapper said. She hopes more Nittany Lions fans will consider what they can do to make a difference in their communities.
“I’d hope more Penn State fans will take up that banner and ask, ‘What can we do to help?’ That’s what it’s about. That’s what ‘We Are’ is all about. Making an impact in the community goes a lot farther than winning football games.”
State College Food Bank sees demand grow
The State College Food Bank has seen local demand for groceries grow significantly this year, according to operations manager Virginia Meadows. On its busiest days, the food bank could see more than 7,000 pounds of food leave its building.
Meadows said community-organized drives make a significant difference for the nonprofit food bank.
“Having these kinds of donations allows people to have a special holiday meal and make sure their pantry is stocked,” Meadows said. “We have a lot of donations coming in, but a lot of groceries are leaving the building.”
“Every little bit helps, but I know this group really rallies together to put this donation together each year,” she continued. “It seems their donation keeps getting larger, which is amazing.”
The State College Food Bank’s food pantry is open from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays and from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. The food bank is closed through Nov. 30 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Those who need emergency food support while the food bank is closed are encouraged to contact Centre Helps at 814-237-5855. Community Thanksgiving meals are offered by several local organizations, including the Bellefonte Knights of Columbus and the Community Cafe at Saint Andrews Episcopal Church.
The State College Food Bank, located at 169 Gerald St., offers a donation drop-off room that is accessible to the public at all times but accepts only non-perishable food and grocery items. Donations of fresh produce or items that must be refrigerated or frozen are accepted from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and by appointment on other days of the week.
The food bank maintains a list of its current needs on its website. It also accepts donations and encourages community members to volunteer when opportunities are available.
This story was originally published November 26, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
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