The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Thanksgiving in a basket
Car enthusiasts help project that feeds 1,000 families for holiday
MIDDLETOWN — Knights of Valhalla Auto Club members Eryka Wright and John Kaley found participating in the Middletown Community Thanksgiving Project so rewarding these last couple months, they’ve committed to volunteering once a week at the food bank.
In the six weeks leading up to Monday’s massive “basket” assembling session at Fellowship Church on Saybrook Road, the friends volunteered numerous hours of their time a couple days a week to sign up those who use the Amazing Grace Food Pantry on Stack Street. Each will receive a box filled with a turkey, all the fixings, including canned vegetables, fresh fruit, and everything that will make Thanksgiving special for 1,000 families who’d otherwise do without a holiday meal.
Wright, of Meriden, and Kaely, of Berlin, are members of the newly renamed club, some of whose members were formerly part of the ERE Eight-Sixty Racing Enthusiasts of Middletown.
While Wright, a 28-year dancer who teaches at Studio 3 in Newington, participated in the drive last year. This was Kaley’s first exposure to the Thanksgiving project, however.
“Probably about a half-hour, 45 minutes in, he looked at me. (and said) ‘Erika: You’re glowing.’ I love this, I love doing whatever I can. It’s really fulfilling. We don’t want anything back — it’s just rewarding to be there,” she said.
They plan to volunteer “stocking shelves, taking people shopping, signing people up. We’ve been doing it so much, we’re just not going to stop,” said the owner of “Lady Vader” (her “daily driver”), a 2012 tattooed Toyota Camry; and “Spidey,” her 1994 Mercedes Benz SL500 hard-top convertible.
The Knights took part in the Thanksgiving turkey drive at Price Chopper in Middletown this past weekend, alongside Middletown police officers. They gathered 916 birds for baskets which will be given out to families this week.
North End resident Bill Perkins is co-founder and president of the co-ed club, along with his wife, Carel Perez, its vice president. His automobile pride and joys are his modified 1988 Mustang and heavily modified Honda Del Sol.
It’s been a difficult year for Perkins, who lost his mother right after Christmas 2017. Her death hit him hard.
“Growing up, it was just my mom and I. My mom didn’t have much. She always worked a cashier job or something like that. We lived on a real tight budget. I’ve always known what it’s like not to have something or not be able to get something,” said Perkins, a father of six.
While grieving in the months after her death, Perkins stepped back from the club and its philanthropic projects. One day, he realized his mother would have wanted him to continue.
“My mom would be so mad at me if I did not keep going. That’s what is driving me. I have a good group of people,” said Perkins, whose kids and brother are also involved in the club. His youngest son and daughter attend Macdonough, where toys from Valhalla’s collection drives will be distributed right before Christmas.
Helping make Thanksgiving possible for families in need is something Kaley always wanted to do. “When I was given the opportunity to do it with the club, there was no turning it down. After the first two or three days, I didn’t want to stop doing it,” said Kaley, a restaurant chef who switched his work hours so he could go in later in the day in order to participate.
“It’s very fulfilling to know somebody is going to have an amazing meal because of something I did. You can’t get any better sense of worth than that,” said Kaley, owner of a 2012 Silver Surfer Nissan Maxima.
With all the donations of nonperishable foods, Wright thought the addition of fruit and produce would be the cherry on top. So, she approached the owners of Scott’s Orchard and Nursery in Glastonbury with a special request.
“This year, the harvest for apples was really bad due to lack of rain, and when we had rain, it was too heavy, so it didn’t soak into the ground, it ran off. John and I drove out to Scott’s to see if they could even give us just some apples,” she said.
They left with 90 bags of fresh apples for the boxes and two bins of small roasting pumpkins for Amazing Grace.
“We’ve been collecting food all over the place to give the Middletown community as much opportunity for fresh food as possible. Locally grown fresh apples — you can’t get better than that. It was a big win for us,” she said.
The Knights of Valhalla took part in three fill-a-buses over the past month, helping collect canned and boxed goods such as corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy. Nine families didn’t fit the project’s criteria for eligibility, so the Knights purchased food baskets for those families Kaley said.
Next up for the club in December is a holiday toy drive outside Big Lots, which has increased its toy section in anticipation of the demand, Wright said. Club members will be accepting new, unwrapped items for children of all ages. They chose the store because it carries a large selection of relatively inexpensive items, she said.
Wright is one who believes children’s toys should be educational as often as possible. “They have a discover section. I want the science stuff. Give me the experiments, I want telescopes,” she said.
She tells the story of one man who drove 30 minutes to meet her at Big Lots last year. He asked what she was looking for, and she told him her dream gift would be a telescope, which she knew had a little higher price tag.
“‘He said, ‘Yup. Absolutely,’ ” she said, relishing the moment. “It’s great that we’re known so well that people come from far away to donate,” she said.
Every year, the South Fire District holds its Adopt-A-Family brigade, which benefits between five and 10 families. This year, the club is also jumping on board by providing gifts, which are delivered during a parade of fire trucks lit up with holiday lights and decorated for the season — with Santa on board.
“I told them the one requirement I have is I get to ride on the fire truck,” Perkins said with a laugh.
The toy drive will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 16. The giveaway at Macdonough Elementary School on Stack Street is Dec. 23 at the same time. For information, visit Knights of Valhalla on Facebook.