At Beloved Howell Diner, A Lesson In Christmas Kindness

HOWELL, NJ -- Local homeless were treated to a full Christmas dinner thanks to the combined efforts of Howell police officers and the generosity of a Howell Township business owner, whose kindness is being lauded on Facebook.

Steve Brigham, who has spent many years working to assist the homeless in Monmouth and Ocean counties, relayed the events on his Facebook page.

He said he was contacted by Sgt. Chris Hill, who heads the Police Athletic League and asked to meet Hill at the Colonial Coffee Shoppe in Howell.

Over lunch, Hill introduced Brigham to Pete Savvis, who owns the business along with his wife, Debbie, and Debbie’s sister and brother-in-law, Ellen and Guy DeLisio. Pete Savvis told Brigham he and his family wanted to host a special Christmas dinner for the homeless at the diner.

The diner is a fixture in Howell; an electrical fire destroyed the interior in June 2014, but it reopened earlier this year much to the joy of residents and regular customers, according to the Asbury Park Press.

“Pete then turns to introduce me to his wife and daughters who help him run the diner. With smiles on their faces, they reassure me they really want to do this,” Brigham wrote.

They set the date for Dec. 18, and Brigham set about reaching out to the homeless in the area.

“Everyone started getting excited,” he wrote. “They don’t get invited out very often.”

Jeff Mayfield, a retired police captain from the Howell Police Department, secured a van from his church to transport the homeless to the dinner.

“Jeff has always been friendly towards the homeless,” Brigham said. “He would repeatedly call to check on me, and the homeless in Tent City. Jeff is a real good-hearted man.”

Brigham said the dinner reunited many of the homeless who had lived in the Tent City community and who had moved on when that site was shut down. It took two trip with the 15-passenger van to pick everyone up, he wrote.

At the diner, Santa greeted the arrivals outside and the Savvis family welcomed everyone inside for the buffet dinner.

“It was good to hear the chatter of the homeless as they enjoyed the delicious food, and each other’s company,” Brigham wrote. “As we were eating, Pete’s daughter Danni (Danielle) came from behind the counter and with tears in her eyes, extended a formal welcome to everyone, saying, ‘If this dinner has brought you joy and contentment, it is nothing in comparison to the joy and contentment we are receiving having the honor of serving you.’ ”

“After everyone was finished eating and had their dessert, I couldn’t resist saying a few words to try to encourage the homeless as I realized the toughest time of the year was just around the corner for them. I started by reading the Christmas story and ensured them that better days were coming, when peace on earth will be a daily reality, and homelessness will not exist in our world anymore,” Brigham wrote.

Afterward, “the homeless couldn’t stop mentioning how wonderful everything was and how they enjoyed themselves tremendously,” Brigham wrote.