Lillian Pennon (left), the News-Review’s Community Leader of the Year, with Juanita Trent at the pantry table they manage at Galilee Church of God in Christ in Riverside. (Credit: Steve Wick)
Lillian Pennon’s dedication to her community was on full display in recent weeks during the Thanksgiving and holiday seasons inside her church, Galilee Church of God in Christ in Riverside.
Stacked on every available space inside the church were bags of food and other necessities that families and individuals are free to pick up, no questions asked. Hers is a food pantry for everyone in need, a goal to which she has dedicated her life.
Jonathan Perkins of The Cooperage Inn, left, and Jerry Dicecco Jr. of Jerry and the Mermaid are the News-Review’s 2020 Businesspeople of the Year. (Credit: David Benthal/Tara Smith)
When the COVID-19 pandemic led to restaurants being restricted from offering traditional indoor, sit-down service, Jerry and the Mermaid the popular East Main Street seafood restaurant that’s been in downtown Riverhead since 1994 - didn’t let it get them down.
Instead, they quickly adapted and began offering a $50 produce box to the public at cost and transitioned the business toward curbside pickup and deliveries along with grocery items.
Soon, Jerry Dicecco Jr., who owns the restaurant along with his father, Jerry Sr., began selling cartons of eggs, toilet paper and wholesale produce to stay afloat, something he said he never imagined he’d be doing.