Every year, former Union City mayor Brian P. Stack holds a turkey delivery event where local residents and members of neighboring communities collaborate together to deliver thousands of turkeys to families across Union City and nearby areas.
Stack’s nonprofit organization, the Brian P. Stack Civic Association, is the main catalyst behind this event. This year, Montclair State University students and university president Jonathan Koppell decided to join in. The goal of the event is to deliver 30,000 turkeys to families before Thanksgiving.
President Koppell and all of the students and staff volunteers at the Union City police garage. David Bien-Aime | The Montclarion
On Saturday Nov. 23, the volunteer event was held at Union City’s police garage. The event commenced with over 100 volunteer members bagging and stacking the turkeys on boxes.
Volunteers were given gloves to help combat the cold weather as the heavy boxes were lifted. The big stack of boxes would be wrapped around and then transported to the garage in a forklift to later prepare for delivery. The boxes would then be transported to around different cities, as people split up in different groups on buses to deliver the turkeys.
A student volunteer grabbing the turkey boxes to store them in a bag. David Bien-Aime | The Montclarion
Koppell was one of the main figures who attended the event. He is no stranger to civic engagement, as he created the Public Service Academy as Dean of Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University.
Koppell also played a role in creating a national network for NextGen Service Corps at Montclair State. NextGen Service Corps seeks to help prepare undergraduate students for public service careers through volunteer work and community engagement.
President Koppell in attendance at the turkey delivery event, speaking with one of the volunteer staff members. David Bien-Aime | The Montclarion
Koppell explains what civic engagement means to him and the importance of community involvement.
“Civic engagement is one of the most important things for me,” Koppell said. “I love having students out and participating in this. First of all, it’s a great way to give back to the community. Second of all, it’s a great way to understand how things happen, to see this amazing operation where you got all these volunteers working with the leadership of mayor Stack and distributing over 30,000 turkeys to people in Union City.”
Montclair State's NextGen Service Corps taking a group photo during the Turkey delivery event. David Bien-Aime | The Montclarion
Montclair State’s NextGen Service Corps were in attendance to volunteer, led by director Jessica Pichardo.
Freshman psychology major, Carlos Revelo, who is a part of the NextGen Service Corps was one of the volunteers in attendance.
“I believe public service is just one of the best ways we can engage and give back to the community as a whole,” Revelo said.
Carlos Revelo participating in the turkey delivery event. David Bien-Aime | The Montclarion
Joaquim Vazquez, a junior business administration major, was one of the other Montclair State student volunteers.
“The importance of community involvement, I believe it opens your eyes to stem farther and to realize that you’re in an area that’s larger than you,” Vazquez said. “I believe when people bubble themselves to just their inner circle, they don’t achieve as much. Exposing yourself to the community truly around you, in a scale, something that is truly impactable by you, is important.”
