Norwich — Volunteers and staff of Thames Valley Council for Community Action and WCTY-97.7 FM cheered and waved at cars pulling into the small auxiliary parking lot at Big Y Supermarket on Thursday morning as the COVID-19 version of the 22nd annual two-day November food drive got into full swing.

The drive generates tons of donated nonperishable food to fill the shelves at the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Bank, along with hundreds of pounds of donated turkeys, other fresh meats, fresh vegetables and meal accessories. It runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Norwich Big Y, 224 Salem Turnpike.

The food bank supplies 80 food pantries, shelters, child care centers, community meal sites and programs for the elderly throughout the region.

The food drive is set up in the parking lot close to the road and far from the usual spot at the store entrance to allow for drive-thru service, with volunteers taking donated goods out of the trunks or back seats and handing donors a thermal canvas shopping bag with fliers, pens, a bottle opener, rubber jar opener and other items provided by Pasta Vita restaurant at Mohegan Sun Casino.

The food will be packed into a Big Y 18-wheeler and driven directly to the food center warehouse in New London. Frozen meats and refrigerated food were stored in Big Y coolers and freezers to await transport, as well.

Missing this year were the usual weigh-ins for every bag and concert ticket drawings. Prerecorded interviews played during the live WCTY broadcast, replacing the usual live on-air interviews of sponsor agencies, business owners making large donations and individual donors.

Some large donors are substituting cash and gift card donations for their usual loads of frozen turkeys and goods, citing a difficulty in placing orders for turkeys this year.

Elizabeth Zachow, marketing manager for CorePlus Credit Union, brought two checks of $1,250 each, one for the Gemma E. Moran food center and one for TVCCA and its human services programs.

“That’s so awesome!” said Megan Brown, TVCCA senior director of marketing and development.

“It’s such a hard year,” Zachow said. “We just wanted to contribute what we could.”

Dave Elder, program manager at WCTY said watching the bank representatives arrive at the food drive is a treat, as the local banks “always have a friendly competition going.” Along with the banks, several local businesses, churches and nonprofits make annual large donations. Rogers Kitchens called Elder to alert him that a truckload of fresh meats and vegetables was on the way Thursday morning.

The New London County Harley Davidson Club planned to bring stacks of $20 gift cards Thursday evening. Donations from Norwich Public Utilities and Dime Bank were expected Friday. The Hanover Congregational Church comes with a full van on Friday evening in the closing minutes of the drive, Elder said.

Alex Eames drove up with a donation of the makings for a “full turkey dinner” from him and his wife, Mary, who runs Build Up Lacrosse, a lacrosse clinic for girls in Salem, and is the women’s lacrosse coach at the Coast Guard Academy.

“We try making it as often as possible since we arrived in the area,” Alex Eames said.

c.bessette@theday.com