Several local residents, groups and businesses were honored for their exceptional work in the community, through grocery deliveries, food distributions and donations of protective equipment and supplies.
These local heroes helped the East Windsor community keep safe and healthy by being lifelines during the trying times of 2020.
Gregory Dailey turned his morning paper route into a lifeline for those who did not have a means of getting their groceries, according to information provided by the township. Realizing that many of his customers might not be able to get to the store, he left a note with the newspapers for customers to call him if they needed anything, and began receiving calls before he arrived home. Dailey, with his family, has been picking up and delivering groceries to people confined to their homes, making more than 1,000 grocery runs aiding more than 140 homes, since March 2020, according to the statement.
N.J. RISE, under the leadership of Executive Director Leslie Koppel and Board of Directors President Nancy Walker Laudenberger, has supplied food for families in East Windsor and Hightstown via the Hightstown-based food pantry and several major drive-thru food distributions, with pro-active grant support, according to the statement. RISE has assisted 325 families a week at their food pantry and 7,122 families at 10 major drive-thru food distribution events.
Sam Katz, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program, organized a weekly free food distribution of 7-day food boxes for people under the age of 18 on Sundays at Ethel McKnight Elementary School. Since the start of this program, more than 21,000 meals have been distributed, according to the statement.
HOVIONE, an international pharmaceutical company located on Lake Drive, and General Manager Filipe Tomas reached out at the outset of the pandemic, donating scarce and much-needed township protective equipment and supplies, including 3,500 surgical masks, gallons of disinfectant, large quantities of hand sanitizer bottles, goggles and no touch thermometers for municipal use, according to the statement.
Gloria Hansen pioneered the SewtoStopCovid19 website and Facebook page when the pandemic hit and there was a severe mask shortage. She established it as a way to connect people who sew and are willing to help places in need by enlisting individuals from throughout the region and even nationwide to sew and distribute masks. Since its inception, more then 35,000 masks have been made and donated, according to the statement.
To view the video, visit https://evogov.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/21/media/315221.mp4