Turkeys R Us collected $1,087 Tuesday to reduce its turkey deficit by 72 birds.

It is part of a bid to make sure 2,500 financially challenged families in Manteca, Ripon, and Lathrop can enjoy the American tradition of Thanksgiving with a turkey meal.

The community-based Turkeys R Us effort as of Monday has raised just enough to supply 1,367 struggling families in Manteca, Lathrop, and Ripon with turkeys this year. That includes 550 actual turkeys and $12,363 that will be used to buy additional birds at 99 cents a pound.

That leaves 1,133 families that could end up without a turkey meal this Thanksgiving.

The effort has just three days left to raise the money or receive actual turkey donations in order to make sure they are distributed in time to the 30 food closets serving the three communities.

Food closets see a surge in demand this time of year with requests for help. The additional requests come from families that usually try to avoid asking for help. They tend to be families that have seen a reduction in pay or hours, have lost a job in the household, have been hit by unexpected medical bills, are single parent homes, or are seniors on limited incomes.

Fouling up the drive this year is the fact the cost of a traditional turkey dinner has skyrocketed by 13 percent over 2010 prices according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Marie Raymus - owner of the Manteca Bowl & Family Fun Center - is donating $1 from every game and $1 from every shoe rental at Manteca Bowl this Thursday from 5 to 11 p.m. to the Turkeys R Us effort.

If you can assist Turkeys R Us, contact Coldwell Banker Crossroads (North and North Main Street in Manteca) at 823-8141. You can also call LeAnn McNabb at 815-6754, Sue Teunissen at 483-3365, or the Second Harvest Food Bank at 239-2091.

If you have an actual turkey you’d like to donate, you can take it directly to the Second Harvest Food bank on Industrial Park Drive near the branch post office and indicate it is for Turkeys R Us. The drop-off can be done Monday through Friday before 4:30 p.m.