Wirths helps package, distribute Thanksgiving turkeys

SUSSEX BOROUGH — The Christie Administration kicked off its fourth annual “Season of Service” campaign today, as Commissioner Harold J. Wirths of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development helped load, package and distribute more than 150 Thanksgiving Day turkey dinners to needy families through the Sussex Help Center and other charitable groups in Sussex County.

Wirths began the day early, loading frozen turkeys into trucks and cars at the Weiss Market on Route 23 in Franklin, from where the Thanksgiving birds were taken to the United Methodist Church on Bank Street in Sussex. The Commissioner and his wife joined volunteers at the church packaging the turkeys with donated canned goods and other seasonal foods.

The complete holiday dinners were distributed at the church to needy families from 3-6 p.m. Everything was donated and made possible through the generosity of residents, businesses and local organizations throughout Sussex County.

Each holiday season, cabinet officials in the Christie Administration engage in a variety of charitable efforts, spending time volunteering and highlighting service opportunities through the end of December as part of the "Season of Service" initiative. In the month of December, cabinet officials will focus on services provided to individuals recovering from addiction.

The Sussex Help Center, where Commissioner Wirths and his family traditionally volunteer their time, provides a variety of programs to Sussex Borough and Wantage residents who are in need from its storefront on Main Street in Sussex Borough. Funding for the center comes from private donations, individuals and churches. The charity receives no federal, state or government assistance.

The center accepts non-perishable food donations, including canned vegetables, canned meals and fruit, gelatin, pudding, soup, sandwich spread, peanut butter, jelly, tuna fish, mayonnaise, canned meat, macaroni, spaghetti, sauce, rice, tea bags, powdered milk, and sugar-free food for diabetics. To find out more information about donating to the Sussex Help Center or if you know a family in need, call (973) 702-1922.