Ahead of Thanksgiving, a Clifton man is organizing a food drive as a way to honor his father who passed away last year.

Jason Werner says that his father Harold was a kind, philanthropic man whom he misses terribly.

“My dad was a great guy. He was very generous with everything, with everyone,” Werner says.

Werner says that he came up with the idea for the First Annual Harold Werner Thanksgiving Food Drive last month – two days before what would have been his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

“I was feeling really bummed out. I really wanted to do something,” he says.

Werner raised over $3,000 through a GoFundMe page. He says that he will match up to $5,000 in donations to buy food for those in need. He has also started to received food donations at his office in Paterson.

“We’ve got some beans, some pasta sauce, pasta,” he says.

Werner says that the support has been incredible and he says that the food driver reflects his father’s generous spirit.

“He was very much about giving and my mom even told me that he would be extremely proud and he would love it,” Werner says.

He says that the food will be donated to local food pantries and soup kitchens in the Paterson area.

Anyone who wishes to donate food or volunteer can email h.w.fundraiser@gmail.com. The GoFundMe page can be found HERE.