Stew Leonard's teamed up with the Newington police and fire departments to hand out 500 turkeys Thursday ahead of the holiday next week.
Dozens of people waited in a car line Thursday morning to pick up turkeys for friends, loved ones, or organizations important to them.
Stew Leonard's has done the human assembly line giveaway each year since 1979.
"This year, we've gotten the most requests across the whole company," said Jenn Polaski, a spokesperson for Stew Leonard's
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
A total of 500 turkeys were given out from the Newington location.
In all, 4,000 turkeys will be given out in total across Stew Leonard's seven locations.
Mary and Andrew Aros, from Newington, picked up turkeys for their church.
Local
"It's doing a good deed," Mary Aros said.
Community leaders say the need has only grown.
"The need even post and prior pandemic has been increasing every single year and the generosity of the community never ceases to amaze me," said Rik Huggard, with Newington Human Services.
