The Vikings hosted their annual Thanksgiving Drive Through, presented by Land O'Lakes, Inc., at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center Tuesday. Vikings coaches and players teamed up with volunteers from Land O’Lakes and The Open Door Pantry to supply 1,600 turkeys to nonprofit organizations and individual families.
Vikings Host Thanksgiving Drive Through Presented by Land O'Lakes
The Vikings are making an impact throughout the Twin Cities.
Safeties coach Michael Hutchings brought plenty of energy this week for the Thanksgiving Drive Through, presented by Land O'Lakes, enthusiastically directing traffic as individuals and nonprofits arrived to pick up Thanksgiving meals sourced through The Open Door Pantry.
"This is one of my favorite events," Hutchings said, grinning. "We look forward to this every year. Last year, me and K.O. (Head Coach Kevin O'Connell) had such a great time, and he actually brought it up last week in the staff meeting, just so everybody understands the significance of the event. It's great to give back, to make it fun.
"We're [very blessed] to be in this building, be around these people, do our jobs, be in our profession. And for some, they're making sure they know where to look for their next meal," Hutchings continued. "Where's that next opportunity coming from? Can they provide for their crew, their family, their circle, during the holidays? It's nice to be able to take the stress off them — kind of check a box — for those people that may have it looming over their heads of how they're going to make the holiday season happen. And that's really the biggest thing for us."