ORIGINALLY WRITTEN
As Tabor College Wichita director KaLyn Nethercot was driving to work Tuesday morning, she heard a plea over the radio from B98 FM that a west-side drop-off point was needed for an annual turkey drive, sponsored by B98 and United Methodist Urban Ministries.
Nethercot had an idea-and a cell phone.
“I called the radio station, got through to the morning show on-air and volunteered the services of Tabor College Wichita,” she said.
Three days later, the B98 van was parked in front of the building, a refrigerated truck was ready to hold turkeys and the Tabor College Wichita staff was ready to begin the day.
“It’s not too often here we get to be of service to the community,” Nethercot said. “You usually think of larger institutions and bigger name entities doing that. This seemed like a perfect opportunity for us to put our mission of service to actual work and to fill a need that was so obvious in this community.”
About 1,900 families will benefit from the drive during the week of Thanksgiving.
“Need is not denominational, it’s not age-driven, it’s not ethnic, it’s not geographic,” said Nethercot. “It crosses all of those boundaries.”
Functioning as a dispatch center, the Tabor College Wichita staff even picked up food in west Wichita for people who could not deliver it themselves.
Tabor College Wichita collected 703 turkeys and $12,970 in cash and check donations. The Tabor College Hillsboro employees contributed $175 to the drive. Overall, the drive brought in 1,442 turkeys and $24,210.
“We would have done this at Tabor College Wichita had they not ever said Tabor College on the radio,” said Nethercot. “That’s not why we did it. We did it because they needed a place, they needed the help and we knew that we were in a position to provide it. The response has been absolutely overwhelming.”
Tracy Cassidy of B98’s “Brett and Tracy Morning Show” broadcasted live throughout the day and talked to those bringing in donations, including those who had benefited in the past from the drive.
McBride Electric was also a corporate sponsor this year.
Tabor College Wichita’s degree completion program began in 1993 as an extension of the traditional Tabor College campus in Hillsboro.
