Charity doubles amount of food for families in Camden, NJ

CAMDEN, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The Mount Charitable Foundation delivered a big surprise for families in Camden, New Jersey by doubling the amount of food that will be given out the day after Christmas.

The original plan was to drop off 20,000 pounds of food between a location at Broadway and Ferry Avenue in Camden and the Cathedral Kitchen on Federal Street.

"We surprised them this morning and we're bringing them 55,000 pounds of food today," said Dave Smith, CEO of the Mount Group.

The amount is more than double the expected amount for families in Camden.

The Mount Charitable Foundation is making this happen with the help of local businesses and organizations that have donated money to buy the food.

"We got everything. We got hams and we got turkeys. We got canned food. We got non-perishables, perishables. We got milk, eggs," Smith said.

The Mighty Writers non-profit will distribute the food at Broadway and Ferry Ave. to families.

We're told they usually help about 250 people a day who pick up food from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It all goes a long way to last until the New Year.

"There's a lot of people that may not have as much as others do and this is what we do, we give," said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen.

The mayor and organizers said that charity is important all year.

"We recognize how important it is that everybody has meals every day, not just on Christmas, not just on Thanksgiving, so we thought the day after Christmas would be a great time to do this," Smith said.

The Mount Charitable Foundation also plan to give to families in Pennsylvania in a couple of weeks.