First responders working Thanksgiving get free meals at Collegeville Italian Bakery
COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. (CBS) -- For eight years now, Collegeville Italian Bakery has been offering free meals to first responders who can't take Thanksgiving Day off.
The Montgomery County staple makes breakfast pizzas available each year as a way to give back to first responders who are working and lighten up their day away from the dinner table, said Steve Carcarey, who co-owns the bakery with his wife Patrizia.
"Our goal, Patrizia and I, was give back to the community. These guys are not with their families," Carcarey said.
"The first responders, the police, the ambulance workers, the firefighters, they're here all throughout the year, and it's just a little something we want to do," he added.
Staff from 15 different townships will be arriving at the bakery at staggered times to pick up the pizzas for their whole stations.
"We always say it, this bakery backs the blue," Carcarey added. "They're gonna eat good today. I think they pick this shift for this reason, really."
"It can be hard when we work 12 hours a day on a holiday, where we're away from our family, missing dinners and everything, but this kind of makes up for it," said Jessica Rhoads, supervisor at the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety.
Different departments are stopping by the bakery at appointed times to pick up the food.
"It's awesome, we are very fortunate and we are very blessed to work in a municipality where the public and the township itself greatly support us, everybody shows our appreciation to us not just around the holidays but throughout the year as well," said Lower Providence Township police officer Andrew Millard. "It keeps you positive, keeps you happy, keeps you energetic."