Photo: Getty Images / Justin Sullivan
A local motorcycle club, known as the Northwest Jersey Harley Owners Group, takes the time each year to donate turkeys to the food pantry at St. Joseph Church in Newton. This past Sunday (Nov. 18), the group donated 139 turkeys!
These turkeys are shared with local families in need for Thanksgiving and are also given to house-bound seniors and others in similar situations. If there are any leftover turkeys, those will be given to another food pantry at Camp Auxilium for distribution as well.
Club member, Wally Waltsak began this tradition 40 years ago when he started delivering turkeys to people on his own. The Northwest Jersey Harley Owners Group started embracing Waltsak's good deed about 18 years ago, assisting him in the deliveries.
In order for him to purchase the turkeys, Waltsak raised $1,905 , where a third of it was donated just from family members and himself. One hundred and twenty-five dollars of that was donated by the motorcycle group, who gathered money from friends and acquaintances.
"You can sit down at the table at Thanksgiving now and know that because of you and me, somebody else has food in front of them," Waltsak told the members.
Check out a few photos of them donating, at the NJ Herald.