Hopatcong Grad Ships 45 Turkeys to Borough

Some residents still feeling the repercussions from Sandy's aftermath will be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner thanks to a recent donation of turkeys from a former Hopatcong student. 

Mike Wichart, a graduate from Hopatcong High School in 1996, drove from South Jersey to the high school on Monday and donated 45 turkeys to the borough.

Wichart, a teacher at Clearview Regional High School in Gloucester County, saw the town was in need and wanted to contribute in anyway he could.

He got the Clearview Regional Education Association and the student Varsity Club to contribute to the donations that will help a number of borough families in need.

Wichart, who still has family in Hopatcong and keeps in contact with his former teachers and friends, said he was "proud" to see the community come together in the days after the storm.

"It's always been a great town," he said. "We always work together with each other. I loved my childhood growing up, I loved my education that I got at Hopatcong, and I think it's a testament to the people in that town for how well they reacted and responded to the storm."

Know someone else who went extra lengths to help others during Sandy aftermath? Send an e-mail to lauren.mennen@patch.com