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Dinner honors first responders in Westfield

WESTFIELD — The Westfield Ministerial Association held a dinner for first responders on Friday, the 19th anniversary of the tragic events on Sept. 11, 2001.

The dinner was hosted for first responders including the fire department, police department and the hospital. Pastor Vinny Sanzo wanted to honor the first responders in the area because of recent events, including the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“We really wanted to do something for the first responders in the area to honor and thank them,” he said. “As acting chaplain at the Westfield Fire Department, this really meant a lot to me as well and I see how hard they work on a daily basis.”

The dinner was held as a take-out event where the responders ordered ahead of time and picked up on Friday — where over 100 dinners were served. The Westfield Memorial Hospital had a few representatives go down to the Lakeshore Assembly of God, where they picked up all of the meals for the hospital to limit the possible spread of COVID-19. The police and fire departments picked up their own meals to thank Sanzo for his recognition and kindness.

“We have been trying to think of ways we can serve and spread positivity outside of our walls in the church,” he said. “This was the perfect opportunity and properly thanks the first responders of our community for all the work they’ve done, especially during the pandemic.”

The meals included two options: pulled pork with sides or a chicken dinner with sides, all made by Kiss BBQ. Sanzo explained that he also wanted to help out another business that has not only been impacted by the pandemic, but by a recent fire that occurred, forcing them to shut down their business.

“My wife and I connected with the owners early on and we love their food,” he said. “Along with thanking our first responders, we wanted to also help out a local business in a different way, as we have been all along by volunteering to help them clean out their building after the fire.”

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