MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – There was a shortage of gratitude in Miami Gardens, after a turkey giveaway turned into a chaotic scene Friday afternoon.
After waiting in line for hours under the rain, many Miami Gardens residents said they were told to leave empty handed. Benjamin Thomas was waiting at Cloverleaf Park, 303 NW 191 St., but did not get a turkey.
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"We stood up here in line in Miami Gardens trying to get a turkey for thanksgiving," he said. "If we was in another neighborhood ... don't you think it would be more organized, more faster, more everything? But we're standing in the rain waiting."
In other cases, residents said that they pre-registered and didn't get the turkey that they had signed up for. Councilwoman Lisa C. Davis sponsored the event held from 2 to 4 p.m. with the help of Farm Share, a nonprofit organization that recovers food from wholesalers.
Elizabeth Judd said she was a volunteer at the event. She added that all of the people who registered through churches, crime watch groups and homeowner associations received a turkey as planned.
"The fact that others bombarded this event and failed to register could not be prevented ... Several of the people complaining did not live in the city," Judd said in an e-mail.
This isn't the first time there is complains about a shortage of turkeys and plenty of shouting at a Miami Gardens giveaway. Two years ago, The Miami Herald reported people were cursing at volunteers, because they were frustrated at the long lines and lack of birds.