Community Corner

You Want a Pickle With That? Seabrook Residents Make Sandwiches for the Hungry

New program at Seabrook assists Bridges at the Shore in meeting its mission.

A press release from Seabrook Village:

The concept is simple, but taken for granted by many.  You take some bread, slap on deli meat and you have yourself a tasty sandwich.  But there are many people who cannot afford this simple luxury and go hungry. That is where some Seabrook residents and the organization Bridges at the Shore come in to help.

On July 15, Seabrook residents volunteered their time to assemble 100 turkey and cheese sandwiches and placed them in paper bags, along with red delicious apples, bags of chips, bottles of water and a very special form of encouragement. Residents included hand-written notes for each bag that supported each recipient.

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Approximately 10 residents took part in this effort, which is the first time that it has occurred at Seabrook. However, Bridges at the Shore has been involved in this endeavor for years.

“I became involved when I realized that there are a lot of people who needed a supper and went without one,” said Seabrook resident Bev Hausker, who helped develop the program at the retirement community.  “This is a program that receives no help from the government and is simply people helping people.  It is just to help someone get over a hump and give them the basic necessities.”

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“Here at Seabrook we have time and most feel we want to help other people,” said resident Bobbie Ostar.  “Cooperating with the Bridges at the Shore project enables us to make contributions toward helping others who need help in this area.”

Seabrook Executive Director Art Sparks said, “This project is a great example of the wonderful volunteer spirit at Seabrook.  The area that we live in has a strong heart for the needy, including the hungry, and I think that our residents are passionate about helping wherever and whenever they can. This event helps a very worthwhile organization fulfill a need that assists those in the county who are struggling.”

“It is during the holidays that people usually tend to think about those in need a little bit more who are hungry, but our residents and staff pride themselves on helping the community throughout the year, and gain tremendous satisfaction from an effort like this food assembly collection,” said Chris Stewart, Seabrook director of dining services.

The sandwich making project is only one of many volunteer efforts that residents take part in.  Last year, resident volunteers worked thousands of hours spending time doing a tremendous amount of work for a variety of groups, including the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean counties, the , Monmouth Medical Center, Jersey Shore Medical Center, Meals on Wheels, Monmouth Museum, in Tinton Falls, , Interfaith Neighbors, The Bradley Food Pantry, Visiting Nurse Association, Red Cross, United Way and the New Jersey Special Olympics.

The Bridges at the Shore program provides direct help to needy people living in Monmouth County.  Once a month a group of volunteers take a caravan of cars to local towns in Monmouth County to distribute clothing, blankets, bag suppers, toiletries and conversation to those in need.  Its aim is to build bridges between people by meeting face to face, offering help and giving encouragement.  It is a personal effort to do something immediate to assist those in the greatest need. To learn more about Bridges at the Shore, you can go to their website at: http://www.bridgesattheshore.org/

The concept is simple, but taken for granted by many.  You take some bread, slap on deli meat and you have yourself a tasty sandwich.  But there are many people who cannot afford this simple luxury and go hungry. That is where some Seabrook residents and the organization Bridges at the Shore come in to help.

On Friday, Seabrook residents volunteered their time to assemble 100 turkey and cheese sandwiches and placed them in paper bags, along with red delicious apples, bags of chips, bottles of water and a very special form of encouragement. Residents included hand-written notes for each bag that supported each recipient.

 

Approximately 10 residents took part in this effort, which is the first time that it has occurred at Seabrook.  However, Bridges at the Shore has been involved in this endeavor for years.

“I became involved when I realized that there are a lot of people who needed a supper and went without one,” said Seabrook resident Bev Hausker, who helped develop the program at the retirement community.  “This is a program that receives no help from the government and is simply people helping people.  It is just to help someone get over a hump and give them the basic necessities.”

 

“Here at Seabrook we have time and most feel we want to help other people,” said resident Bobbie Ostar.  “Cooperating with the Bridges at the Shore project enables us to make contributions toward helping others who need help in this area.”

 

Seabrook Executive Director Art Sparks said, “This project is a great example of the wonderful volunteer spirit at Seabrook.  The area that we live in has a strong heart for the needy, including the hungry, and I think that our residents are passionate about helping wherever and whenever they can. This event helps a very worthwhile organization fulfill a need that assists those in the county who are struggling.”

 

“It is during the holidays that people usually tend to think about those in need a little bit more who are hungry, but our residents and staff pride themselves on helping the community throughout the year, and gain tremendous satisfaction from an effort like this food assembly collection,” said Chris Stewart, Seabrook director of dining services.

 

The sandwich making project is only one of many volunteer efforts that residents take part in.  Last year, resident volunteers worked thousands of hours spending time doing a tremendous amount of work for a variety of groups, including the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean counties, the Tinton Falls Library, Monmouth Medical Center, Jersey Shore Medical Center, Meals on Wheels, Monmouth Museum, Mahala F. Atchison School in Tinton Falls, ARC of Monmouth, Interfaith Neighbors, The Bradley Food Pantry, Visiting Nurse Association, Red Cross, United Way and the New Jersey Special Olympics.

 

The Bridges at the Shore program provides direct help to needy people living in Monmouth County.   Once a month a group of volunteers take a caravan of cars to local towns in Monmouth County to distribute clothing, blankets, bag suppers, toiletries and conversation to those in need.  Its aim is to build bridges between people by meeting face to face, offering help and giving encouragement.  It is a personal effort to do something immediate to assist those in the greatest need.  To learn more about Bridges at the Shore, you can go to their website at: http://www.bridgesattheshore.org/


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