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Basking Ridge Runners Trot Through Town For A Good Cause

The Parade of Turkeys collects food and personal care items to donate to the community soup kitchen in Morristown.

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — A small group of friends created a tradition where they run around Basking Ridge on Thanksgiving morning to help the needy.

Stephanie Abrusia and her friends started "The Parade of Turkeys" four years ago who thought it would be a fun idea to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday with a 5K run together.

They each agreed to bring food and personal care items to donate to the community soup kitchen in Morristown.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Then the event evolved to run wearing over-sized and festive hats. Finally, the route was designed to include the huge inflatable turkey on Lake Road (special thanks to the Perrotti family). This turkey also became the spot for the annual group photo.

"As we run through the streets of Basking Ridge cars beep and neighbors cheers us on adding to the fun. It's a great way to begin the holiday in the spirit of health and giving and we look forward to next year," Abrusia said.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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