Employees at Choptank Transport in Preston MD were busy Thanksgiving week collecting, assembling and delivering holiday dinners to approximately 300 needy families in the tri-county area.
Donations began November 21, the Monday before Thanksgiving, with Choptank’s first delivery to St Vincent de Paul, a Catholic charity in nearby Easton MD. St Vincent partners with six other organizations to help put food on the tables of those who otherwise would have none.
The next day, Choptank loaded up the company van, affectionately known as the “Chopvan,” with another delivery of Thanksgiving dinners. This time the donation was destined for the Salvation Army in Cambridge MD.
“Thanks to the donation from our friends at Choptank Transport, we were able to make some phone calls to registrants who had not already been chosen to receive a Thanksgiving box to let them know we were going to be able to provide them with one,” said Captain Aaron Abram, Corps Officer at the Salvation Army.
“I remember one mother who showed up with her two preschool-aged children,” said Abram. “She was in tears as she was thanking us for the food. She said she was not sure what she was going to do for Thanksgiving dinner because she had no family in the area, and she had recently lost her job because of spending time in the hospital with her sick child. Those are the families that make the craziness of the day worth it. We couldn’t have done it without the generous donation of food from Choptank.”
Choptank wrapped things up Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, with another van full of dinners. This time they were bound for the Talbot County Neighborhood Service Center in Easton.
Marilyn Neal, the center’s executive director, was pleased to have the extra help.
“Our agency had a goal to serve 290 families during this season,” said Neal. “With your help we not only met our goal but we were able to surpass it. Many thanks to Choptank for their support during the Thanksgiving holiday.”
“This has become an annual event for us,” said Geoff Turner, president and CEO at Choptank. “I am thankful to our generous employees and customers who enabled us to support so many in our community.”
