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190 cases of COVID-19, 2 deaths confirmed in county; 6,778 cases statewide

EXETER &mdash; Customers stopping in for a bite to eat at American Grill over the last couple of days will have undoubtedly noticed a big brown box in between two of the booths.
				The box reads &ldquo;Operation Veteran Supply Drop,&rdquo; and is an example of the restaurant&rsquo;s commitment to helping our veterans, year after year.
				&ldquo;The vets&rsquo; cause has always been near and dear to our hearts,&rdquo; said owner Trista Cruz on Saturday. &ldquo;We try to do two big things a year to gather supplies to send to them.&rdquo;
				Cruz and her husband, Shaun, have owned American Grill, a staple of the dining scene in Exeter, for about five and a half years.
				With veterans on both sides of the family &#8211; Trista&rsquo;s grandfather and Shaun&rsquo;s brother both served &#8211; the couple decided to start holding the supply drop three years ago.
				&ldquo;We always get such an excellent response from the community,&rdquo; Cruz said. &ldquo;The truck is usually overflowing with supplies.&rdquo;
				American Grill started collecting supplies on Nov. 13, and the plan is to keep the box open for donations until sometime in the first week of December, according to Cruz.
				Then all the supplies are loaded up and delivered to the Veterans Affairs hospital in Plains Township.
				&ldquo;We usually do the supply drop this time of year, and a charity car show around Memorial Day,&rdquo; Cruz said. &ldquo;Obviously, this year we couldn&rsquo;t do anything around Memorial Day.&rdquo;
				Among the list of supplies that American Grill is asking for on behalf of the veterans: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shirts, socks, blankets and much more in terms of hygiene and clothing items.
				The restaurant is also asking for items like decks of cards, paint by numbers kits and craft supplies to help keep the residents of the VA hospital entertained and occupied while they&rsquo;re currently locked down due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve already had some folks drop off supplies, and the box will be open during our regular hours,&rdquo; Cruz said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve hardly even started advertising yet, but we&rsquo;re off to a great start.&rdquo;

American Grill collecting supplies for area veterans