With trucks and traffic whizzing by, some honking horns in support, the costumed Sofferman family Thursday once again collected frozen turkeys and other fixings as part of an annual drive to help families in need this Thanksgiving.
The food collected will be donated to the Spooner House food pantry.
The Soffermans — Bruce, a dentist with offices in Derby and Oxford, his wife, Deborah, a reverend, and their daughter, Sophia, a third-year student at the Pace University School of Law in New York — have been dressing as pilgrims and Native Americans while standing alongside busy Valley roads once a year for nearly 27 years.
On Nov. 21, the family was in front of On-Time Screen Printing and Embroidery at 155 New Haven Ave. in Derby drawing attention to their cause with wide smiles and big waves.
They were scheduled to remain on the scene until 7 p.m.
Daughter Sophia is just 26, so her earliest memories include watching mom and dad collect food at Thanksgiving to help others.
“I’ve been going this every year since I was little,” Sophia said. “It’s a great feeling, especially when you see those empty shelves at the (Spooner House food) pantry. You know there are so many people that really need help.”
Bruce Sofferman said it doesn’t really matter how many turkeys they receive while collecting on the side of the road. Raising awareness for the food pantry is more important.
There are a ton of other dro- offs happening, Sofferman said, so there are plenty of ways people can help this Thanksgiving.
Click here for complete information on how to help and where you can drop off food.
Click the video to hear more from the Sofferman family. Click here for more information.
A steady stream of people were dropping off donations in Derby Thursday morning.
The Soffermans were delighted to have such a highly visible spot with plenty of parking.
On-Time Screen Printing and Embroidery has been in Derby for about four years.
Owner Michael Klein said the store was happy to help.
“We think it is a great event to help the community,” he said. “There are hungry people this time of year, so anything we can do to be a positive part of the community is something we want to do.”