One Tinley Park, Sam's Club And Community Volunteers Partner To Deliver 40 Donated Turkeys To Veterans

Country Club Hills IL

24 November, 2020

4:46 PM

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From the Richard Free Press: By Jon DePaolis TINLEY PARK, Ill. - As a way of saying thank you to the veterans in the area, the One Tinley Park political group and Sam's Club teamed up recently to donate 40 turkeys to those who have served. Just in time for Thanksgiving, the donated birds were delivered Saturday, Nov. 21, to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2791, located 17147 Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park. The turkeys were to be stored in the freezer at the VFW before being distributed to the veterans in the area later in the month. "I have heard numerous stories of families canceling Thanksgiving due to the coronavirus," Tinley Park Trustee Michael Glotz said. "After many conversations with the members of One Tinley Park, we decided we would like to help our veterans this Thanksgiving." The group reached out to Sam's Club manager Mike Happ and assistant manager Joan Bromley, and they donated 40 turkeys to the cause. Glotz said Sam's Club also has helped with the group's senior outreach efforts and the Citizen Volunteer Committee. "Mike Happ and his team are so thoughtful and generous," Glotz said. One Tinley Park also partnered up with Roger Barton, a retired Tinley Park police officer and veteran. Barton said Glotz reached out to him on Nov. 21 to let him know about the donation. "[He] wanted to know if we had a freezer to keep them in until they could be distributed," Barton said. "By noon, Mike had the birds secured, and I confirmed we had the freezer space at our VFW." From there, Barton said he sent an email to a mailing list of veterans in the area, many of whom are members of the Tinley Park VFW and American Legion. "We told them any veteran who needed a bird was welcome," Barton said. "Out of the 40 birds we started with, we're down to four left [on Nov. 23]. I'm still getting email replies and text messages with requests." Barton said he wanted to get all of the turkeys delivered to the veterans who are local by Nov. 25. "The pandemic has changed our lives in a way most of us never thought about," said Barton, a resident of Tinley Park for more than 70 years. "Some people are better off than others and are healthy enough to fend for themselves. My concern is the older vets and those with medical issues that make it tough for them to get out. Both of our veterans organizations are here to help veterans any way we can [and] any time we can. I've been helping anyone and everyone I can in the community – as a police officer here for over 30 years and as a volunteer at the VFW for over 40 years." Richard Free Press is a one-stop destination for the news that most affects you, the southwest suburban resident. Be an informed citizen of the town you live in and love.