Not everyone can afford a Fourth of July barbeque. But organizations like Mercy Center in Asbury Park are trying to change that.

Volunteers at the center’s food pantry gave out hamburgers and hot dogs to residents in need on Thursday.

"[Thursday was] all about giving everyone a Fourth of July. Everybody should have a chance to celebrate our birthday. And what we wanted to do is be sure that people here in Asbury Park had the wherewithal to do it,” says former Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, executive director of Mercy Center.

People lined up three hours early ahead of the event. Asbury Park is a food desert because of the lack of access to healthy, nutritious food for its residents.