Members of the New Jersey Army National Guard and Air National Guard helped give out fixings for Thanksgiving meals to hundreds of families at the new Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry on Tuesday.
KEYPORT - Members of our nation's military, and their families, already give a lot of themselves for the benefit of their neighbors.
But on Tuesday, representatives from the New Jersey Army National Guard and Air National Guard took some time out to give even more - specifically to help give out Thanksgiving dinner fixings to hundreds of families in need at the new Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry.
Members of the New Jersey Army National Guard and Air National Guard helped give out fixings for Thanksgiving meals to hundreds of families at the new Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry on Nov. 24, 2015. (Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) "It is eye opening to see how many folks out there who are in genuine need of assistance, especially during the holiday season," Chief Warrant Officer 3 Patrick Daugherty, of the N.J. Army National Guard, said while giving out turkeys.
"It feels good to be able to come to a food pantry like this and help provide some necessities to individuals and families that need it, to have that direct contact with them and be able to see the expressions of gratitude on their faces," Daugherty added.
The guardsmen were on site as part of the Christie Administration's fifth annual "Season of Service," during which Cabinet officials launched the beginning of the holiday season by packaging and serving Thanksgiving meals at various locations throughout the state.
Keyport Councilman Isaac Cooper, who volunteers as the executive director of the Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry, said he was grateful that the new food pantry was selected to be part of the "Season of Service" initiative.
"We want to get as much out to the community as possible, because we're here to help the needy not the greedy," Cooper said. "So this event was good. Anything that can raise awareness about what we're doing here, we're for."
This was the first Thanksgiving meal distribution event held at the Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry's newly constructed O.O. John Reed Community Center on Elizabeth Street.
The new facility helps provide necessities to more than 260 families from 21 towns throughout the Bayshore region per month, which is nearly 800 total people and growing, Cooper said.
This thank you note written on a paper plate hangs on the wall of the Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry on Nov. 24, 2015. (Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) On Tuesday, the food pantry was expecting to provide Thanksgiving meals to 264 families and by 9:30 a.m., there was a line stretching out the door.
"The need for assistance is definitely ramped up this time of year," Cooper said. "Regardless of what people say, there are a lot of people who are laid off or out of work. Or who work all year for a pittance or working class people who've never taken any help before, but do not want to see their children go hungry during the holiday season."
Because of this, Cooper said, the volunteers at the Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry strive to make it as easy as possible for people to get the assistance they need.
"We wanted to make this as much of a church experience as possible, without taking their manhood or their womanhood from them," Cooper said. "So the hardest thing about coming through here should be to come to the door. After that we serve them the best we can and everybody here is non-paid volunteers, so everything that comes in one door goes out the other."
The National Guardsmen said it was obvious the need that exists and how thankful the people were to receive it.
"They were all expressing gratitude to us and thanking us for our service," Daugherty said. "They were genuinely happy to be receiving some assistance, and we were genuinely happy to be able to interact with them."
--For more information on the Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry, click here.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.