DEQUINCY — Since 1981, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day has been a labor of love for Sharon Mueller and her family.

More than 30 years ago, Mueller spearheaded a Thanksgiving basket drive at Our Lady of LaSalette Catholic Church that assisted about 10 families. Today, that charity has grown to help hundred of families and involves the entire DeQuincy community.

Mueller died last April, but her family and the town ensured her tradition would continue. On Tuesday, over 320 baskets were prepared at the church, and many of those were hand-delivered to local families in need.

“I am sure she was looking down smiling,” said Shelli Richard, Mueller’s daughter. “This was her favorite day of the year — not Christmas, not Thanksgiving Day. She loved this.”

Richard said Mueller’s mission now has DeQuincy clubs, other churches, individuals, and schools donating food and money to buy groceries. She said all four schools participate and that this year students donated 7,000-plus food items for the baskets.

Laurie Mueller, Sharon’s daughter-in-law, said DeQuincy High School athletes moved the food from all the schools to the church. Mueller said more than 75 volunteers assembled the boxes Tuesday.

She said the philosophy has always been to never turn a family away.

“Sharon always said, ‘If they ask, they need,’ and no questions are asked,” she said.

Mueller said every basket includes a turkey and enough groceries to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and to last for about a week.

“When you think 320 or so baskets, you are talking about families of five or more,” she said. “If you average five people a family, that’s 1,500 people. To me that’s a bigger impact, especially in a town this small.”

Richard said her mother also loved teaching her kids, grandkids and others the importance of giving. She said every year many kids come to help assemble and deliver baskets.

“It provides a learning opportunity for the kids and helps them understand the needs of other people,” Richard said. “The kids love to help and go on deliveries. When you take a carload of kids and they give a box of food to a home in poor condition, it helps them be thankful for what they have.”

Mueller’s mission has made an impact on the entire DeQuincy community. During the basket assembly Tuesday, City Council member Mark Peloquin read a proclamation deeming the Tuesday before Thanksgiving as Sharon Mueller Day in DeQuincy.

Both Mueller and Richard said it was an emotional day and also hard to continue the tradition without Sharon, but they knew that would be what she wanted.

“She would be so proud of this today,” she said. “She loved doing this and seeing and helping the people. That was just the kind of person she was.”(Special to the American Press)