By WARREN DILLAWAY - Staff Writer
AUSTINBURG TOWNSHIP — An idea to bring some fun to the workplace will end up benefiting dozens of area families down on their luck.
“This is our second annual Turkey Bowl,” said Sandy Freeman, general manager of the Save a Lot warehouse. She said the idea germinated with assistant manager Chad Klemencic last year.
“I’ve seen it on television in Wisconsin,” Klemencic said. He said the idea came up during a company safety committee meeting as a morale booster.
Country Neighbor, a social service organization that helps people in the southern portion of Ashtabula County, was then contacted concerning the possibility of working together to help the needy.
Freeman said any employee bringing food for the needy was allowed to bowl during three different sessions. “We usually get about 75 percent (of 110 employees),” she said.
“Every strike we donate a turkey to Country Neighbor,” Freeman said. She said last year 64 turkeys were donated and this year’s Turkey Bowl is not over.
“It’s a lot of fun. We enjoyed it. Yesterday (Monday) we had an employee dress up like a Pilgrim,” Freeman said.
Tuesday morning employees took about 15 minutes of their day and rolled turkeys toward 10 bowling pins. Management representatives were the pin setters.
Jack Furman recently bowled a 300 game at Jefferson Lanes so was under a bit of pressure when he stepped to the line. Fellow employees gave him a bit of a hard time when he missed the mark on his first toss.
“You got to play the smooth part. I bounced mine off the (turkey) leg,” Furman said with a laugh. He still said he enjoys turkey bowling and it is even more enjoyable than regular bowling.
Jeremy Pildner got into the spirit of the day by wearing a Ninja costume. “I figure I’d step it up,” he said of his Halloween get up,” We have fun around here.”
Barbara Klingensmith, executive director of Country Neighbor, said the company’s efforts are greatly appreciated. “We use the turkeys in our Christmas programs. This helps us stretch our dollars,” she said.
