Deptford council presented month of June prizes for both citizens and business of the month for contributions to the community, at its July 10 meeting.
Two township residents – Robert Fitzgerald and Ernest “Ernie” Huggard – took the citizen’s awards, and Nonna’s Pizza A Taste of Italy got the nod for business of the month.
Fitzgerald was cited for helping a Deptford police officer caught in a scuffle with an unruly suspect at the Deptford Mall in May. The incident – just days after the funeral of fallen officer Robert “Bobby’ Shisler – was covered by major local news outlets 6ABC and NBC10. Fitzgerald’s actions led to the arrest of the suspect.
Huggard, the recently retired CEO of First Harvest Federal Credit Union on Hurffville Road, was honored for contributions to the community he made with the group First Harvest.
“First Harvest has been a great neighbor,” said Mayor Paul Medany. “They do a lot for the community, give back to the youth programs, and a lot of that was from Ernie. We wanted to honor and thank him for that.”
Huggard also received a proclamation from the council in his name as a permanent addition to the town’s records.
Nonna’s Pizza – a family-owned business also located on Hurffville Road – took the business award in part for donating a portion of its sales to a GoFundMe page for Shisler, which has raised more than $150,000 to help pay the fallen officer’s medical expenses.
“The folks who got the awards are all involved with the community,” Medany noted. “We always want to promote local businesses and the work our residents do.”
The business and citizen of the month is presented to a local business, be it family owned or as part of a large chain, and resident respectively who make great contributions to the community and do a major deed.
