Andretti partners with Butterball, Kroger for turkey giveaway

With Thanksgiving approaching, Andretti Autosport and Ryan Hunter-Reay teamed up with two of its sponsors, Butterball and Kroger, to give away 500 turkeys to central Indiana families in need. 

Butterball, which accounts for 20 percent of the nation's total turkey production, and Andretti Autosport recently delivered 500 turkeys to Midwest Food Bank on the city's south side with the help of IndyCar driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti CEO Michael Andretti and Butterball President and CEO Kerry Doughty. 

Aided by the help of Hunter-Reay’s DHL crew, the turkeys were distributed to Wheeler Mission, the Society of St. Vincent dePaul, Westminster Neighborhood Services and One Body Ministries—all food pantries across Indianapolis—to help feed more than 4,500 people this Thanksgiving.

“Michael and Ryan came to us three years ago and asked us if we’d be willing to help out and partner with Midwest Food Bank,” Doughty explained. “It seemed like a great idea, a lot of enthusiasm and passion for helping people who need some help this time of year.”

Midwest Food Bank helps gather and distribute food to over 1,100 not-for-profits agencies and disaster sites nationwide with 320 of those in Indiana. Midwest Food Bank is able to help more than 90,000 Hoosiers in one month due to its partners and volunteers. The south side organization is projected to deliver more than $30 million worth of food in 2016, officials said.

“The people of Central Indiana provide a supportive fan base necessary to the growth and health of our sport,” Michael Andretti said in a statement. “My wife Jodi and I are happy to call Indianapolis our home, and I am honored to be here with Butterball and Kroger to give back to the community that has done so much for us.”