Putting the giving in Thanksgiving

Published 10:36 am Friday, November 29, 2013

For three years Vicki Roach and other volunteers from the Upper Township community have helped provide Thanksgiving meals for those in need.

“There are a lot of places that feed people this time of year,” Roach said. “But there are also a lot of people who are shut in and can’t leave their homes. So we take our meals right to their doors.”

This year Roach and the others have put together 38 food baskets and 16 precooked meals to be delivered to various homes in the local area. It’s a community effort Roach says, one that couldn’t happen without help.

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“I’m really just a bus driver,” Roach says. “I put these baskets together and I help deliver them but most of the food is donated by people of this community. I put on Facebook the items that we need and people come through with them.”

Roach’s inspiration for the charitable deed comes from understanding the situation of the less fortunate. Roach says she tries to do her part to give back to the community and help whenever possible.

“I know how tough it can be,” she said. “I’ve been there, when my kids were young and we were on a fixed income. It was a struggle.

“I live by Galatians 6:2, which says that we must carry each other’s burdens. I’m in a position to help people now and it’s my duty to do it.”

Still Roach refused to take sole credit for the charitable endeavors she partakes in.

“It’s a team effort,” she said. “So many great people really go above and beyond to make these baskets and meals happen.”