The Ninety Nine Restaurant and Pub and Wareham High School's CODE Club, a community service organization, have collected about 1,800 non-perishable food items and 120 coats, which will be donated to Damien’s Food Pantry and St. Patrick’s Church and distributed to families in-need.

"This year the goal was 2,000 cans, so we came close,” said Ninety Nine Restaurant manager Matt Perry.

The food and coat drive began on November 15, and on Monday, the CODE Club and Franciscans from St. Patrick's met at the Ninety Nine Restaurant, where they counted and packed the coats and cans, and loaded them onto a truck for delivery.

The CODE Club encourages social responsibility, said club president Kaitlyn Rogers. “We figure if someone needs help and we can do it, it's not that hard."

Wareham High School senior and CODE Club volunteer Ashley Hathaway said that making people a little happier during the holidays was her motivation to help. “I just like to put a smile on someone’s face,” she said.

Perry credited the restaurant's employees for coming together to collect the food and coats, including Nancy Knight, who organized the drive.

Ninety Nine Restaurant line cook Sean Clancy even went door-to-door collecting donations this year.

“People were very generous ... I get help when I need it, so why not give back,” said Clancy. “It’s just that time of year.”

The Ninety Nine Restaurant became involved with the club three years ago when CODE Club co-adviser Kimberlee Scott’s daughter worked for the restaurant.

One year, the team “adopted a family” for the holidays. In the years that followed, they began working with Damien’s Pantry and St. Patrick’s to expand their reach.

“This is more effective … the food pantry can help more than one family,” Perry said.