(Scotch Plains) – On Wednesday, Assemblywoman Annette Quijano was awarded Homefirst Interfaith Housing and Family Services’ “Homefirst Hero” Award as part of their annual Evening of Thanks event. The Homefirst Hero award recognizes people, businesses, and organizations who volunteer their time with the community.

“I’m honored to be a Homefirst hero, but I think the real heroes are the employees, volunteers, and Board of Directors because they make sure that the needs of the community are addressed when someone knocks on that door for help,” said Assemblywoman Quijano.

Assemblywoman Quijano was nominated to be a Homefirst Hero due to her work on behalf of her district and Union County as a legislator as well as her “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation” initiative, which serves over 1,000 sandwiches to homeless people each year. This year’s honorees also include Benjamin Serna, Armando Guerra of the Lions Club International, and Mayor Adrian Mapp.

Homefirst Interfaith Housing and Family Services is a non-profit 501c3 organization that delivers comprehensive solutions to homelessness including transitional, supportive and permanent housing, homeless prevention assistance, and social services to strengthen families and build communities.