By FRANCESCA COCCHI
Editor-in-Chief
Hosting its annual Thanksgiving Day event at the Salvation Army building in Asbury Park, Giamano’s Ristorante supplied a free holiday dinner to 800 guests with the help of 200 volunteers, according to co-executive chef Steffan Manno.
According to Manno, the goal of the event is “to bring together everyone in a festive, warm and safe environment with food and music.”
Manno, whose family owns the restaurant, said Giamano’s has been running this event and a similar one on Christmas day for ten years. The event requires weeks of preparation and thousands of pounds of food, he said.
Although the event helps needy families every year, Manno said the recent devastation of Hurricane Sandy added a new element this year.
“I think that many people who were affected directly by the storm were that much more aware of what it means to be cold, alone and hungry,” Manno said. “With everything that is going on moving forward, I hope that this event can inspire people to hold their own type of events to assist those who could use the help throughout the year.”
First time volunteer Lauren Mount of Freehold said she was amazed at the amount of people willing to give up parts of their holidays to volunteer.
“I was really overwhelmed with a sense of community that filled the room,” she said. “Everyone there really wanted to lend a helping hand to make someone else’s day special.”
Mount, who helped organize clothing donations and serve food, said she plans to volunteer at the event again in the future.
“I realize that not everyone is as fortunate as I have been in my life,” she said. “I think that volunteering time on holidays is really what being a good citizen is all about: helping community members to experience the holidays as they are intended to be celebrated, surrounded by friends, family, support and love.”