It was all about brightly colored plastic ducks and how they figured in Thanksgiving plans for needy local families on Catawba’s campus Nov. 18.

Thanks to funds raised in the 11^th annual Duck Draw, 133 families will have a Thanksgiving dinner this year.

The annual event is coordinated by Student Affairs and Residence Life staff members, and has provided Thanksgiving meals to nearly 1,500 families over the past 10 years.

Staff members began collecting $1 donations in September to sponsor each duck that was placed in a small plastic, waterless pool in Leonard Lounge of the Cannon Student Center.

At promptly 11 a.m. on Nov. 18, Catawba President Brien Lewis plopped himself into the pool amidst the plastic fowl and began randomly selecting ducks and handing them out to staffers.

Each duck plucked from the pool had a number displayed on its bottom that corresponded to the number on a $1 ticket purchased by a member of either the college community or the community at large. These numbers also corresponded to donated prizes from area merchants, ranging from massages to meals.

Catawba staffers work with local agencies to select deserving families who need assistance with a Thanksgiving meal.  Meals include a 10-12 pound turkey, rice, cranberry sauce, green beans, corn, stuffing mix, a box of brownie mix, and even a baking pan for the turkey.

Sophomore and resident assistant Audrey Hoffman of Dacula, Ga. was the plastic duck sales leader, selling 280 of the 2,696 tickets sold.

Proceeds from the Duck Draw, along with funds raised through other fundraising projects undertaken by the Students Affairs and Residence Life staffs, including the Kiss the Pig Contest, help underwrite the costs of providing the Thanksgiving meals.