Toms River Supplies Holiday Food to Sandy Victims

As part of ongoing efforts to help people affected by the storm, hundreds of families received the ingredients of a traditional Christmas dinner over the weekend in Toms River.

The People's Pantry Relief Center supplied over 400 Ocean County families with the holiday food, which was donated by the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean County, along with the American Red Cross and, even, community members.

More than 100 volunteers, including many Boy Scout troops, were on hand to dole out the boxes.

The Pantry was founded by the Township's school district and continues to offer long-term recovery for Hurricane Sandy victims.

"The need is far from over," said Patricia Donahue, the executive director of the pantry. "The happiest day of my life will be when we can close our doors forever."

Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher said that this is an occasion with mixed emotions.

"I'm grateful to the FoodBank that they are able to provide turkeys and other food items to our residents, but it's sad that the need still exists in our area."

The event also included Santa's arrival aboard a fire truck from the East Dover Fire Department.