HOWELL – Individuals who receive assistance from the Howell food pantry got a boost from the community ahead of Thanksgiving.
Andre de Garmeaux, a local business man who was a candidate for Township Council in the Nov. 3 election, said that with support from the Howell PTA and other residents, he was able to drop off more than 2,000 pounds of food at the pantry so individuals in need would be able to enjoy a meal on Thanksgiving.
He said he dropped off 65 bags of food and said each bag contained about 35 pounds of food, making the total donation more than one ton of food. He said all of the items that are needed to make a Thanksgiving dinner were included in each bag.
“I feel for people who fall on hard times. When COVID hit and it became obvious it was not going to be a two-month event, I started collecting food at my business because the food pantry is an all-volunteer organization and those volunteers knock it out of the park.
“People have been stepping up, they bring groceries (to me) and I basically play a glorified delivery boy” bringing the donated groceries to the food pantry, de Garmeaux said.
The Howell food pantry is at 449 Adelphia Road (Route 524), Howell, and may be reached at 732-938-2368.