Thanksgiving Dinner For 657 Served Up In Ocean County

They descended on the parking lot at the Silverton Shopping Plaza -- men, women and children, young and old -- and grabbed green reusable TD Bank bags.

A box of stuffing, a bag of carrots, some sweet potatoes. Cranberry sauce and vegetables. Boxes of turkeys stood stacked nearby, along with 10-pound bags of potatoes and pies. Can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without pie, of course.

Due to the efforts of nearly 200 volunteers, plus fundraising efforts by members of The Karate Dojo as well as assistance from The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean counties, The People’s Pantry was able to hand out 20 tons of food in Thanksgiving dinner packages to 657 families on Saturday.

Another 1,000 fully cooked meals will be delivered to shut-in clients -- elderly and disabled -- who need help, said Pat Donaghue, the executive director and CEO of The People’s Pantry.

It’s just a small glimpse at the work The People’s Pantry does every day in assisting families throughout Ocean County, Donaghue said, noting the pantry has 27,000 registered clients and distributes between 1.2 million and 1.7 million pounds of food each year since it sprung up to assist families in the wake of Superstorm Sandy three years ago.

“I thought I’d be back to my life by now,” said Donaghue, who had owned a restaurant prior to Sandy according to her bio on the organization’s website.

The people who are served by The People’s Pantry aren’t people who are just looking for a handout, said Steve Belli, a member of the pantry’s Board of Trustees.

“These are seniors, veterans, single moms,” he said. “It’s people who really need the help.”

It’s people who are faced with the choice between paying bills and eating, said Belli, a management consultant who got involved with The People’s Pantry after learning how widespread the need for food assistance is in Ocean County.

“I couldn’t believe how big the need was,” he said. Being able to help comes from an emotional place: “In college (at Pace University) I was living month to month, sometimes behind on the rent, having to make that choice.” ‘

“I know what that feels like,” Belli said.

Seeing all the volunteers come out to help is heartening, he said.

“There’s so many like-minded people who care helping their neighbors,” Belli said. “It’s overwhelming.”

The need for food assistance has been growing lately, said MaryRose Masi, a volunteer with The People’s Pantry.

“We’re seeing numbers like Sandy victim numbers,” she said as she watched volunteers escorting clients through the makeshift ”store,” supplying them with bags, shouldering potatoes and turkeys and helping them carry their meals to their cars. “We had to close this week because we ran out of food.”

The pantry is expecting to receive a delivery of food from the FoodBank on Monday, Masi said.

“People don’t realize that a lot of us are one bad hand from being in this position,” Belli said. “You play the cards you’re dealt, but sometimes those cards are unfair.”

In addition to the members of The Karate Dojo, assisting with packing bags were other members of the pantry’s board of trustees, which includes Carmen Amato, the mayor of Berkeley Township; Tammi Millar, spokeswoman for the Toms River Regional School District; Peter Van Dyke; Marie Unanue, Chef Mike Jurusz and Diana Pellegrino. U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur also came to lend a hand with his wife, Debbie.

“It’s great to see so many people helping others,” MacArthur said.

To make a donation to The People’s Pantry, click here.

(PHOTOS by Karen Wall)