Jack Merritt’s vintage plane, affectionately known as “Matilda,” in flight. (Photo courtesy of Jack Merritt)
By TIM KELLY
It’s been a high flying year for Jack Merritt, Ocean City’s reigning Mr. Mature America.
Things will reach even greater heights on Friday, May 1. That’s when Merritt, 70, a retired management consultant from West Grove, Pa., will pilot his private plane from an airport near his farm to deliver donated items to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and to aid local residents in need.
Merritt’s 1967 vintage Mooney aircraft is scheduled to take off at 4:45 p.m. with a planned landing 5:15 p.m. at Ocean City Municipal Airport. There, he will be met by volunteers from OCNJ CARE, the non-profit charged with helping first responders and those severely impacted by the crisis.
The volunteers will collect and ultimately distribute the planeload of medical grade masks, latex gloves, household supplies and other much-needed things donated by Merritt and neighboring folks he solicited on social media.
Drew Fasy, OCNJ CARE chairman, was gratified by such generosity from the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River.
“This is another example of a second homeowner with a profound love of Ocean City,” Fasy said. “(Merritt) is wanting to help and is in a position to do so. We are extremely grateful to Jack.”
Mr. Mature America 2019 Jack Merritt, of West Grove, Pa., with his wife, Julia Altman, and their dog, Watson.
During the pre-COVID-19 “old normal,” Merritt used the plane, which he affectionately refers to as “Matilda,” for pleasure flights with his wife, Julia, and also as a working vehicle for his retirement passion: facilitating animal rescues.
Over the years, he’s crisscrossed “Every state east of the Mississippi and a few to the west,” he said, to match up thousands of rescue animals from shelters and place them with loving forever homes.
The plane, which Merritt has owned and piloted for 18 of the 22 years he’s been flying, now takes on a new role to fulfill the mission of giving back to a community he loves.
In addition to updating the aircraft’s instrumentation and overseeing its meticulous restoration, Merritt had modified it from the standard four-seater to a three-seat cargo plane capable of carrying multiple dog cages and loads ranging from 300 to 400 pounds.
“Think of it as about the same cargo area as a Volkswagen Jetta station wagon,” Merritt said. “The entire back of the plane has been set up for cargo. It can carry quite a large amount of supplies.”
The idea for the Ocean City airlift came from Beth Piha, a longtime worker at the animal rescue operation, Greenmore Farm. Piha, an annual Ocean City vacationer, suggested to Merritt that it would be great if Philly-area people had a way to help the beach resort.
At that point, the idea of an airlift came up.
“I am flying back and forth anyway,” Merritt explained. “This is something we could do.”
Jack Merritt’s vintage plane, affectionately known as “Matilda,” in flight. (Photo courtesy of Jack Merritt)
Merritt reached out to Ocean City Special Events Coordinator Michael Hartman, Merritt’s contact for events in which he is featured in his role as Mr. Mature America.
He took the 2019 MMA crown in the annual contest, a parody of traditional beauty pageants and a popular Ocean City event. His reign has been extended, since the postponement of the 2020 event due to the pandemic.
Hartman arranged for Merritt to speak with Fasy about the airlift, who loved the idea.
“We had the means for transportation, and Drew had the means for distribution,” Merritt pointed out. “OCNJ CARE and the volunteers and the people giving of themselves are doing really important work. We wanted to do our part.”
From there, Merritt put out the call on the Greenmore Farm Animal Rescue Facebook page, and the items began rolling in.
Using social distancing practices, donors drove up to the farm’s parking lot, where gloved and masked volunteers picked up the items. Merritt encouraged those who could not make it to Greenmore to simply buy the items online and have them shipped to the farm.
Things currently in short supply in stores, and/or unavailable for purchase using food stamps are particularly needed, Fasy said. Items such as sanitary wipes and hand sanitizer, facial tissue, vitamin C, toothpaste, Tylenol, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, dish detergent, bath soap, and, of course, toilet paper, are on the “most wanted” list.
Jack Merritt, center, is crowned Mr. Mature America 2019.
For those seeking further information on how to donate, or to learn more about Greenmore Farm Animal Rescue, visit the website, www.greenmorerescue.org.
As last week drew to a close, a full plane seemed assured, but Merritt and the Greenmore staff were still cheerfully accepting donations.
“If I need to make a flight like this every week, I will,” Merritt said.
