If you’re grocery shopping over the weekend, don’t forget to pick up a turkey.
The annual Sue Stultz and Moncton Firefighters Association tradition, where frozen birds are donated down back at the St. George Boulevard fire station, begins on Monday, December 1.
Moncton Fire Lieutenant Jeremy Quillian says they’ll ensure Sue Stultz’s legacy lives on with the annual turkey drive, “This is a tradition that’s been ongoing in the Greater Moncton area since 1991. Bruce, who is Sue’s husband, is very happy to see us carry this tradition on, and we look forward to doing this, for the support of the community.”
The Sue Stultz and Moncton Firefighters Association annual Turkey Drive runs from December 1 to 6 this year. Volunteers and firefighters will be taking your turkey, turkey loaf and monetary donations between 12 pm and 7 pm at the St. George Boulevard fire station. Monetary donations can also be made online.
“We had a lot of discussions about the turkey drive for this year, but we want to carry it on under the tradition of Sue Stultz. Traditionally, we always had a hard target goal, but we realize how every dollar is stretched so much thinner these days. Our goal this year is open-ended. We are grateful for whatever we can receive from the community,” Quillian added.
Last year, the turkey drive helped 1840 families.
“We appreciate all the support we’ve received. We couldn’t do this without the support of the community. Firefighters are happy to help out down at Turkey Central, and it’s a great community event,” Quillian said with encouragement.
The Sue Stultz turkey drive was born as an act of kindness. Stultz used to own an Irving Mainway convenience store on St. George Boulevard with a simple delivery of a turkey to the local food bank.
The goal from there was to ensure every family in Moncton and Southeast New Brunswick had a turkey on their table at Christmas time.
Sue Stultz quickly became known as the ‘Turkey lady’. The Moncton Firefighters Association joined the cause in 1991, and each year in November or December, down back at the St. George Boulevard fire station was turned into ‘Turkey Central’.
Stultz passed away in April last year at the age of 71.
“I think that when we all heard the sad news of Sue’s passing, I think that touched a lot of people in the Greater Moncton area. Sue was a staple of our community. She founded this event, so to honour the legacy that she has created, we are keeping the name,” Quillian stated in a 2024 interview with 91.9 The Bend.
