The holidays are nearly upon us once more, and as families across Los Banos get ready for another season of fun and festivities, a local philanthropist and his team are gearing up to host an annual holiday tradition of their own.
Greg Hostetler, a Los Banos farmer and housing developer, is continuing a tradition that has spanned the last three decades, and will be handing out turkeys and almonds to families at the Los Banos Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Nov. 25, starting at 11 a.m.
With 500 turkeys and even more almonds ready to go out to the hands of hungry families, this year promises another successful turkey drive.
Thanksgiving is the worst time of year to be left without food, which is why Hostetler has continued the aptly named Hostetler Turkey Giveaway for a generation. The giveaway was initially launched as a way for Hostetler Ranches — Hostetler’s own land and agricultural business — to give back to the community by distributing its surplus of almonds to those in need of food.
As their business and community influence grew, Hostetler and his wife, Cathie Hostetler, decided to up the ante. By the late 1990s, Greg and Cathie were known not just for their hard work and generosity, but for their yearly efforts to fight off hunger and loneliness, one turkey and a bag of almonds at a time.
Though Cathie tragically passed away in 2010, Greg Hostetler refuses to let his wife’s legacy fade into the past and reports to the O’Banion Building at the Los Banos Fairgrounds each November to keep the spirit of charity alive in her honor.
A long-time member of the community known for his generous donations of time, energy and money to various community projects, Hostetler has been serving his community for as long as he could operate a tractor, well-before he had any almonds to his name.
Though his farming and general hands-on skills originally were limited, Hostetler was able to hone both his business and farming abilities through, as he said to The Westside Express, simply “showing up and being ready to work.”
After spending his young adult years building relationships with businesses both large and small around Los Banos, he found someone with a spare tractor, some spare time and a willingness to pass on some skills to the next generation and set off on the path to becoming a self-made entrepreneur.
Spending his young adult years acquiring some skills, securing some land, and forging more than a few meaningful community connections, Hostetler leveraged the advantages he gained during his years of hard work and poured all the support he could back into his community.
The Hostetler name has since been attached to many donations and real estate projects that have both helped those in need and funneled resources into Los Banos from various economic angles. Whether it’s providing a $50,000 donation to the Memorial Hospital Foundation in Los Banos or overseeing the construction and sale of the Home of Hope — the proceeds of which went directly to supporting leukemia and lymphoma patients— Hostetler has been a force for good in his hometown community.
The Annual Turkey Giveaway is a way for Hostetler, his staffs at both Hostetler Ranches and Stonefield Home, the Merced County Sheriff’s Department, and the countless other clubs and organizations that have rallied together under the Hostetler banner to provide support to those that need it the most.
The event will be held at the Los Banos Fairgrounds, and though the giveaway is not scheduled to start until 11 a.m., hopeful guests are known to start lining up for birds and nuts even before the sun rises. Each giveaway will be limited to one turkey per household, with volunteers from the Merced County Sheriff’s Department helping check required IDs and hand out food all morning long.
Hostetler and his staff will be manning the giveaway until every ounce of food is gone and will not rest until the core of a Thanksgiving meal is in the hands of all who need one. Though supplies are expected to go fast, the time and genuine care that goes into this event each year will give the Los Banos area a sense of hope that will outlast the winter.
