Holiday activities include dropping off turkeys, decorating doors

While many residents prepare for Christmas in various ways this week, activity at the FISH Thrift Shop and the Nevada Division of Health Care Office took on decidedly different approaches to getting into the holiday spirit.

At Friends in Service Helping, volunteers collected turkeys for needy families. Meanwhile, health care office workers decorated doors to enter in a contest.

"We had no idea how competitive social workers and nurses were until this contest was announced," said Chuck Duarte, health office administrator.

Workers began decorating the doors around the office on Highway 50 in Carson City on Dec. 2, Duarte said.

Fifteen employees from the Continuum of Care unit of the Division of Health Care Financing and Policy won the contest.

The top prize was a collection of candy, candles, crackers, cheese and other goodies.

Meanwhile, on Long Street in Carson City, FISH volunteers spent most of Wednesday afternoon collecting the big birds that grace many holiday dinner tables.

"We had more than 160 turkeys," said Reed Robbins, FISH human services director. "Carson always comes through."

The turkeys will be part of holiday food baskets to help feed more than 500 needy Carson residents next week, Robbins said. The baskets will be delivered beginning Monday.

Some turkeys were donated earlier this month with the help of schools and other volunteer groups.

It was the first year FISH organized the "turkey drop," and Robbins said he was pleased with the outcome.