The Award Committee for the Moorestown Humanitarian Award announced today that Tamar Hovnanian will be awarded this month’s Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month Award. As an awardee, Hovnanian will designate a charity of her choice to receive a $1,000 donation from the Janet Knowles Charitable Foundation. She will also receive a $100 gift certificate to a Moorestown restaurant of her choice and two tickets to a performance of the Moorestown Theater Company.
“I believe we have heroes and heroines among us that we never hear about. The goal of the award is to recognize and thank those Moorestonians who do so much to improve the welfare and happiness of other people by their selfless acts of charity.” said Janet Knowles, creator of the award and 45-year Moorestown resident. “And by donating to a charity in the winner’s name, the award supports continued good works. The Award Committee also thought it was important to give the winners something to enjoy, so they’ll get to dine out at a local restaurant and see a show courtesy of the Moorestown Theater Company.”
Hovnanian and her family started making sandwiches for Cathedral Kitchen at the end of 2019. When the pandemic hit and New Jersey closed down, she posted on Facebook to ask for help. Cathedral Kitchen was experiencing a gap in donations and had an even greater need than usual because of the virus and job losses in the area. From that simple post in April 2020, sprang a movement. Hovnanian has organized the donation of well over 30,000 sandwiches, water bottles, fruit and snack bars, as well as essential toiletries for the Cathedral Kitchen. Hovnanian has done this with a quiet grace and with an utter lack of desire for attention, even when the sandwich making became so great that car convoys had to be organized for delivery.
Hovnanian brought her desire to help to the community, and Moorestown responded.
Hovnanian was both surprised and humbled to hear she was chosen for this month’s award. She was quick to point out that it was a “community effort”.
The Award Committee will meet again in early May to select the next Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month.
The Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month Award was established by Janet H. Knowles in February, 2021 to recognize the many outstanding humanitarians in Moorestown who often go unrecognized. The Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month Award will be made each month, by Janet Knowles and a committee of 6 prominent Moorestonians: Ann Baiada (Bayada Home Health Care), Mark Morgan (Moorestown Theater Company), Caryn Lynch (Community House of Moorestown), Dan Posternock (Posternock Appell, PC) and Rick Williams (6abc Philadelphia).
Moorestown residents may be nominated for the award online at http://bit.ly/MoorestownHumanitarian or by mail sent to Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month, PO Box 826, Moorestown NJ 08057. For more information, email [email protected]
