Hostetler’s turkey giveaway Monday in Merced, Tuesday in Los Banos

Hundreds of turkeys will be given away this week in Merced County ahead of Thursday’s Thanksgiving festivities.

The Merced giveaway will be at 1 p.m. Monday at the Merced Fairgrounds grandstand. One turkey will be given per household on a first come, first served basis. The Los Banos giveaway will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the O’Banion Pavilion at the Los Banos Fairgrounds. For more information, email hostetlerturkeys@gmail.com.

For the past four years, Greg Hostetler, owner of Hostetler Ranches, has given away at least 500 turkeys in Merced and in Los Banos every year. Along with a turkey comes a bag of almonds from Hostetler Ranches and a block of cheese from Joseph Farms.

The giveaways have provided a holiday meal to thousands of families over the years.

The families of Joseph Farms, the Gallo family and the Jelacich family have donated cheese regularly since their father’s cheese-processing plant opened in 1982.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 8:22 PM with the headline "Hostetler’s turkey giveaway Monday in Merced, Tuesday in Los Banos."