Thea Digiammerino

Terryville Deli Puts Meals on the Table for First Responders and Those in Need

Thanksgiving can be especially difficult for those who don’t know where their next hot meal will come from.

"If I wasn’t here eating today, I wouldn’t be eating, and that’s hard," Steven Zakiewski teared up as he shared his plans to be home alone this Thanksgiving. "I’d a been sitting home. I didn’t have any food in the fridge. I’d have had a peanut butter sandwich. That’d been my lunch."

His Thanksgiving Day changed thanks to Pasquale’s Deli, which opened its doors to veterans, emergency crews, and anyone in need of a hot meal for the second year in a row.

"This is a really nice tight-knit community because everybody here will help everybody," said Chris Tompkins, a member of Terryville’s Volunteer Fire Department.

Pasquale’s Deli opened its doors and turned on its ovens to cook food donated by the community, including four large turkeys, hundreds of pounds of vegetables, and a dozen pies.

"It feels good to give back on Thanksgiving when so many people don’t have much," explained the deli’s owner Pasquale Martino.

"I think it’s just great, especially for someone like me that’s living on a budget and really couldn’t afford a big thing to share with my mom and my sister," said Janet Piccirillo.

Janet Piccirillo picked up plates for her 90-year-old wheelchair-bound mother, her mentally challenged sister, and herself, so they could celebrate Thanksgiving together.

"It means a lot this year, because we really weren’t able to do it last year," said Piccirillo, wiping tears from her eyes.

"It’s a feeling. It’s that feeling of somebody coming in to bring us five-dollars with that story that that woman had saying, 'I don’t have much but here’s $5,'" said volunteer Nicole McWilliams.

McWilliams dished out plenty of hugs with her holiday handouts, thankful to help others who’ve fallen on tough times.

"It’s a beautiful, beautiful warm feeling," said McWilliams.

Pasquale’s Deli planned to donated any leftover food to the local food bank.

Contact Us