For the 39th consecutive year, Ron and Karen Macedo of RAM Farms and the Kiwanis of Greater Turlock gave local public school students the gift of pumpkins, and it was their biggest delivery yet.

The tradition of delivering pumpkins began in 1984 thanks to Kiwanis lifetime member Dave Miller and his wife, Pat, who was a teacher at Cunningham Elementary for nearly 30 years. In her first year as a staff member, she suggested that pumpkins be brought over for the students to enjoy. It’s happened every year since.

On Friday, the Macedos made their annual delivery to Cunningham. The only difference from previous years was that it was their second delivery of the month, as for the very first time ever, Osborn Two-Way Immersion Academy joined in on the fun the week prior.

This year, Cunningham students received a delivery of over 670 pumpkins, while Osborn was given over 850 for their inaugural patch. Each pumpkin was unloaded and organized by Kiwanians. At Osborn, the Pitman High cheer squad helped with the event while the Turlock High cheer team lent helpful hands at Cunningham.

It’s a sight that Miller would have been delighted to see. On Sept. 29 of this year, he passed away at the age of 75 from a battle with pancreatic cancer. Nevertheless, the tradition remained stronger than ever in his memory.

“When we started this, we didn’t know how it would go, but they went along with it and we’ve been doing it ever since,” Miller said at last year’s pumpkin delivery. “The kids look forward to it. It’s unique because we bring the pumpkin patch to them. And seeing the looks on their faces is wonderful.”