ORWIGSBURG -- The race is on in one Schuylkill County community. Citizens in and around Orwigsburg are trying to see how much money they can donate to the community's food pantry before Thanksgiving.
It all started about a week ago when an anonymous Orwigsburg citizen donated $200 to the borough's food pantry.
"There is a bit of mystery to it which always helps attract attention. I wish I knew who this anonymous person was," said Suzy Jones.
Orwigsburg borough then took that money and challenged its residents to match it. In just a week's time, about $1,000 has been donated.
"It's really great, isn't it?" asked borough manager Robert Williams. "It's a great small local community that cares about the community and cares about others, and it's really a reflection, I think, of small-town values and where America is today."
The food pantry gives out about 1,200 to 1,300 meals a year with their biggest distribution days being during the holidays.
"Thanksgiving and Christmas are the largest because people really, really need it," said food pantry coordinator Edna Hart.
But it wasn't just the spirit of the holidays that is driving these donations. The man who dropped off the initial donation did so in memory of Cpl. David Heiser, who died in 1969, and Capt. Jason Jones in 2014 -- two men from Orwigsburg who served in the Army and were killed fighting for our country.
Jones' mother is touched by all of the donations the community has gathered.
"So, for us, it's like a wing from heaven coming from Jason and we just are so honored that someone would think of these boys and do this for them," Suzy Jones said.
Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so at M&T Bank in Orwigsburg until noon on November 17.
The food pantry will hand out their Thanksgiving boxes the following day.