Moorestown Woman Spurs Donation Drive For Cathedral Kitchen

MOORESTOWN, NJ — When the coronavirus pandemic shut down New Jersey in March of last year, the Cathedral Kitchen found itself facing a gap in donations. With the pandemic, that gap became even worse.

That’s when Tamar Hovnanian stepped in. Hovnanian, who had been making sandwiches for the kitchen along with her family for about a year at this point, took to Facebook to ask for help. Her post sparked a movement.

Since then, Hovnanian has organized the donation of more than 30,000 sandwiches, water bottles, fruit and snack bars, as well as essential toiletries for the kitchen.

This is why Hovnanian was selected as the Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month for April, 2021. The Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month award recognizes Moorestown residents who engage in humanitarian causes and might otherwise go unrecognized.

A charity of the winner's choice receives a $1,000 donation from the Janet Knowles Charitable Foundation. The winner receives a $100 gift certificate to a Moorestown restaurant of their choice, and two tickets to a Moorestown Theater Company (MTC) performance.

“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.”

Knowles said Hovnanian was surprised and humbled to learn she had won the award, and was quick to point out that the drive was a community effort.

That’s how she conducted herself throughout the drive, with what Knowles described as a “quiet grace and utter lack of desire for attention.” She was focused on the drive, which needed the organization of car convoys for delivery when the sandwich making really ramped up.

“Tamar brought her desire to help to the community, and Moorestown responded,” Knowles said.

The Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month Award is awarded each month, by Janet Knowles and a committee of six 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).

The Award Committee will meet again in early May to select the next Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month. The following guidelines are set for award nominees:

• Nominees must be a resident of Moorestown Township at the time of their nomination.
• Nominee's humanitarian work need not be confined to Moorestown.
• Nominees' humanitarian work and service activities should be unrelated to their employment.
• Individuals with an active candidacy for political office or for the Moorestown Board of Education are not eligible for the award.
• Nominees may be an individual, a couple or a family that resides in Moorestown. Once someone has received the award, they will not be eligible for future nomination.
• Employees of the Knowles Teacher Initiative and their families are not eligible for nomination.
• Nominations can be made online using this form. The form can also be mailed to:

Moorestown Humanitarian of the Month
PO Box 826
Moorestown, NJ 08057