Last weekend?s July 4th celebration brought a whole new approach to being a good neighbour when it donated 2,000 meals to prisoners and the Salvation Army on Saturday.

Spectacular fireworks that lit up the sky above Moresby Plain on Ireland Island, during a US Independence Day celebration on Saturday could easily be seen by prisoners and staff at the next door Westgate Correctional Facility.

However, the prisoners got an unexpected treat when a ?substantial? amount of hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken with all the trimmings, arrived at their doorstep courtesy of the party next door.

?Leftovers were also distributed to the Salvation Army,? a US Consulate release said on Monday. ?In total, 2,000 meals were donated.?

Six thousand tickets were sold for the massive July 4th celebration that included activities, entertainment, camaraderie and lots of traditional barbecue.

But when around 1,800 people were put off by early showers, the US Consulate and American Society decided to follow through with the night?s theme of ?Celebrating Freedom ? Giving Back to Bermuda? and would not let the uneaten food go to waste.

The release added that early feedback from the event?s sponsors, participating charities and guests indicated strong support for a similar event next year and on into the future.

US Consul General Gregory Slayton, the co-chairman of Saturday night?s event, said US Independence Day was a time for Americans abroad to give back to their adopted homelands.