(FREEHOLD, NJ) -- /PRNewswire/ -- Peter Grandich and Company will be sponsoring five special races this fall at Freehold Raceway. In addition to the special races and celebrity guests, the events will also include the raising of funds and awareness for several worthy organizations.

"Having first visited in the late 70s as a racing fan, and then as a racehorse owner, Freehold Raceway has provided me and so many others with what has been known for decades as the Afternoon Delight," said Peter Grandich. "The ability to help others while enjoying the sport of harness racing is a true blessing for my wife and me."

The first event is the Halfway To St. Patrick's Day Race on Saturday, September 17th. The special guest celebrity will be New York Jets legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist, Joe Klecko, and two charities will be recognized. The Blessing Bag Brigade is committed to aiding the homeless and educating the public about homelessness, while HABcore provides homeless families, veterans and special needs individuals with housing, meals and nurturing support.

The next event will be the 2nd Annual Italian Heritage Drivers Race on Saturday, October 8th. Special guests include New York Rangers fan favorite, Nick Fotiu, and NJ 101.5 radio host, Bill Spadea. The charitable beneficiary will be UNICO National, the largest Italian-American service organization in the country.

The 1st Annual Veteran's Day Pace then occurs on Friday, November 11th, featuring three-time Stanley Cup winner with the New Jersey Devils, Ken Daneyko. Fundraising efforts will benefit Operation Beachhead and Vetwork, two organizations that support our veterans.

Following that is the 3rd Annual Turkey Trot Race on Friday, November 25th. Monetary and food donations will be collected to benefit Freehold Area Open Door, an interfaith agency that has been providing emergency food, funding, mentoring and scholarships to those in need from the Freehold area since 1987. Special guests include two-time Stanley Cup champion and New Jersey Devils alumnus, Grant Marshall, along with 14-year NHL Veteran, Adam Burt, who is now the Chaplain for the New York Jets.

The final event will take place on Saturday, December 10th, as Peter Grandich and Company sponsors a Toys for Tots Race where Freehold Raceway will be collecting monetary and toy donations for children in need. Since its inception, Marine Toys for Tots has distributed more than 627 million toys, books and games to over 281 million children. The special guest celebrity for this afternoon event will be New York Giants Super Bowl hero, David Tyree.

"Freehold Raceway has had a longstanding association with both Freehold Area Open Door and Toys for Tots," said Howard Bruno, General Manager of Freehold Raceway. "We look forward to supporting them again along with all the organizations receiving funds from these events. We are grateful to Peter Grandich for his sponsorship and coordination which will benefit many worthwhile causes."

Peter Grandich has regularly held charitable events at Freehold Raceway in the past, featuring celebrity guests such as Jeff Feagles, Gerry Cooney and Joe Klecko.

Freehold Raceway was established in 1853 and features live standardbred harness racing for trotters and pacers.