Overview
- Major chains are running free‑turkey promotions tied to spending or rewards through late November, including Acme, Foodtown, Giant, Hy‑Vee, H‑E‑B, ShopRite, Weis, WinCo and BJ’s, with typical exclusions and one‑per‑household limits.
- Budget meal bundles are advertised at fixed prices, such as Amazon’s $25 dinner for five, Walmart’s $39.92 dinner for ten, Aldi’s $40 menu for ten, Sam’s Club’s $100 for ten and Lidl’s under‑$36 menu for ten.
- Houston groups plan large distributions, including 1,000 food kits from Kroger at NRG Stadium on Nov. 25 and a Houston Food Bank mass event on Nov. 22 that includes turkeys, plus multiple neighborhood giveaways responding to SNAP shortfalls.
- Illinois and Florida list dozens of free options: Chicago’s Big Ed’s BBQ serves a no‑questions‑asked Thanksgiving meal on Nov. 27; Heartstrong Meals distributes 2,000 kits in Champaign County on Nov. 22; Florida counties host drive‑thrus that often require registration, ID or proof of residency and limit one turkey per household.
- Thanksgiving’s footprint is growing in Mexico, where northern cities and bicultural communities see more supermarket promotions and restaurant menus featuring hybrid U.S.–Mexican holiday dishes.