Food Bank, Restaurant Providing Thanksgiving for Needy Folks in Lycoming County

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    WILLIAMSPORT, PA (WNEP) — The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is on a mission to make sure no family goes turkey-less this Thanksgiving. Thanks to the food bank and a local restaurant owner in Lycoming County, hundreds of people will have food on their plate during the holiday.

Twice a month, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank distributes food to people in need at the Newberry Church of Christ in Williamsport. However, this distribution included a special item.

“We’re passing out turkeys to people so everybody can have a turkey and food for their Thanksgiving dinner,” Patricia Bryan said.

More than 120 turkeys were donated by Tony Ecker, the owner of the Brickyard Restaurant & Ale House in Williamsport.

“We take a dollar from every burger we sell on Mondays and a dollar from every pizza we sell on Sundays and use that to help buy turkeys for Thanksgiving for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank,” Ecker explained.

“We want everybody to have a turkey and everybody to have a good Thanksgiving dinner, so we thank everybody who came to help,” Bryan said.

Each person who came to get a turkey received a bag full of Thanksgiving delicacies such as stuffing, corn, and green beans.

Without the donations, Doris Bennett says she wouldn’t be able to purchase a turkey on her tight budget.

“I went to Wegman’s yesterday, and I didn’t have the money to buy it. I mean, it was only $13, but it was $13 I didn’t have,” Bennett said.

“I’m in the business of putting smiles on people’s faces, and you know if this is another way we can do it, that’s what we do,” Ecker added.

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank told Newswatch 16 that the donation from Ecker will help feed 256 people on Thanksgiving.

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