Local cannabis retailers raise funds to provide 100 turkeys to locals in need

WASILLA— The local cannabis retail community banded recently together to raise the necessary funds to provide 100 turkeys to households across the Mat-Su Valley.

Bad Gramm3r teamed up with its sister store, Higher by Bad Gramm3r, Laughing Salmon Cannabis, Country Cannabis, and other community partners to put on the second annual Great Turkey Fest, a fundraiser dedicated to providing local families in need with a Thanksgiving turkey with all the traditional accompanying dishes for free.

“It’s going really, really well. It’s going to be pretty great,” Bad Gramm3r owner, Teri Zell said.

According to Zell, her stores and participating partners were able to raise enough money to order 100 turkeys in less than two weeks. She said it was really encouraging to have so much support from the local cannabis community and to gather it all together so quickly.

“It’s obviously nice to know that you’ve raised the money to do it. We’ve had some really generous donations from the cannabis community, which has been awesome,” Zell said. “It’s great. I knew that they would be supportive because it’s something that they understand. It’s our community. We should be giving back.”

Bad Grammar, Higher, and Country Cannabis are all distributing 30 turkeys with Laughing Salmon giving out 10 turkeys for this year’s total of 100 donations to locals in need, according to Zell. She said it means a lot to her to be able to help make difference during this holiday season.

“It makes my heart just burst. I love it. To me, that’s what it’s all about: giving,” Zell said.

Zell said they’re drawing names for this year’s receiving households Monday, Nov. 22. She said that they’re already working out plans for next year to offer even more turkeys.

“Unfortunately, there will be names left over, so next year I’m going to try for more,” Zell said.

Zell and her partners distributed 30 turkeys during the inaugural fundraiser. She said they had a lot of help from all corners of the community this year. She said they received a generous discount from the local CARRS/Safeway to purchase groceries for the Thanksgiving dinner items.

“That helps a lot,” Zell said.

According to Zell, there’s still plenty to do for the rest of the holiday season to support the community. She said they plan to start fundraising efforts for the Mat-Su Special Santa Program after Thanksgiving, giving their customers the chance to purchase wish list items from local children in need from Christmas trees in their main lobbies. She said this is another annual tradition they plan to keep going every year, and they plan to invite the local cannabis community to join them to ensure every Valley child receives gifts on Christmas.

“This is another great need in our community right now. Lots of parents are finding themselves out of work, or have gotten sick and not able to work,” Zell said. “This is especially dear to my heart because back in 1970, I was one of those children. It meant a lot to me that someone was looking out for me during the holidays. We have had some women go as far as to make quilts or knitted afghans for the kids. It truly is special.”

This year’s Great Turkey Fest is sponsored by: Country Cannabis, Bad Gramm3r, Higher by Bad Gramm3r, Laughing Salmon Cannabis, Smoking Joe Terps Co., AK Best Buds, Dosed Edibles, High Vibes, Parallel 64, Kreative Konfections, Momo’s Bakery, AK Kush, Two Birds One Stoned, Herbal Dreams, Guest Services, and Freedom 49 Farms.

For more information about the Great Turkey Fest, call 907-357-0420 for Bad Gramm3r or 907-745-0420 for Higher by Bad Gramm3r.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com