Great Cold Lake Turkey Race
Each and every fall, Cold Lake's favourite homegrown turkey "Ruffles," awakens from his deep summer slumber to prepare for the race of a lifetime. The Great Cold Lake Turkey Race takes place in the weeks leading up to Christmas and after doing a few jumping jacks and hammy stretches, Ruffles takes off on a grueling race to collect enough donations to purchase 400 turkeys for local families in during this year's holiday season.
2024 Marks the 5th Year for Ruffles
In 2019, during the COVID 19 Pandemic, Cold Lake and District FCSS was unable to host their much beloved Christmas volunteer opportunity and holiday fundraiser, Fill-a-Bus. The Great Cold Lake Turkey Race was initiated as a temporary, small-scale volunteer opportunity to fund raise for the Cold Lake Food Bank In lieu of Fill-a-Bus. The Past 5 years, it has grown into it's own annual campaign that has raised over $40,000 since 2020. Ruffles is excited to run his 5th Great Cold Lake Turkey Race and hopes you can help him reach his 400 turkey goal once again.
Update
Ruffles pushed hard and crossed the finish line with a total of 530 Turkeys equaling $13,250 in donations. Thank you to everyone who donated to make the 5th Great Cold Lake Turkey Race a huge success!
How to Donate
- Complete the Online Form
- Print out and complete the Paper Form
- Drop it off at the Cold Lake & District FCSS, located at 5220 54 Street, Cold Lake
- Email a copy to fcss@coldlake.com
How to Support Ruffles
Donate on behalf of:

- Yourself
- Your family
- On behalf of that person "who has everything" on your list. (If you donate on behalf of someone else, you can receive a special card from FCSS to put in their Christmas Stocking or holiday card.
Organize a group donation and fill out a single form on behalf of:
- Your team
- Your school
- Your community group
- Your business
Important Information
- Tax receipts are available through the Cold Lake Food Bank.
- For every $25 donated, you'll receive a "Turkey Token" to proudly display and show your support!
- Cash, cheque and e-transfer are accepted.
All donations support the Cold Lake Food Bank's Christmas Hamper Project! Need some inspiration? Check out this video of Ruffles gearing up for the big race!
Contact Us
City of Cold Lake
5513 - 48 Avenue, Cold Lake, Alberta, T9M 1A1
T. 780-594-4494
F. 780-594-3480
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