Dear Editor:
On behalf of the governing body, I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who helped make the holidays so wonderful for the less fortunate in our community.
My thanks are extended to the students of Clarendon School and the parishioners of the Church of Our Saviour for the groceries from their food drives that filled our Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets; Storage Mart for supplying the corrugated boxes for the holiday baskets; Secaucus UNICO; Steven Strobert Foundation; Engine Company #1 and the many local residents for their generous donations to the Secaucus Emergency Food Pantry; the Kiwanis Club for giving out bountiful holidays baskets to some of our neediest residents; Kings’ Kitchen for preparing the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for our homebound seniors and Mayor and Town Council for delivering the meals.
I am grateful to Principal Pat Coccuci, the Middle School students and PSE&G for the collection of toys; the teachers, staff and students of Clarendon School for sponsoring families with clothing, toys and books. A special thanks to the 26 students of the Middle School Builder’s Club who served the holiday luncheon and entertained at the Senior Center.
I appreciate the overwhelming kindness of local businesses, churches, service organizations for sponsoring families; Kipnis Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Institute; Vision Media; Olive Garden; the members of the K&S Social and Athletic Club.
Additional thanks are due to the PBA for their help in gathering and delivering gifts and escorting Santa on his rounds; Principal Pat Impreveduto for allowing the 30-plus students of The National Honor Society at Secaucus High School to bring holiday spirit (along with dessert) to the senior bingo night and the many class officers, students and advisors of Secaucus High School for a wonderful wrapping party; to Jim Sheridan and his wife Stephanie for their role in bringing joy to the children at the town’s employee holiday luncheon and to the many local residents, too numerous to name, who gave from their hearts by sponsoring families, donating turkeys, groceries and gifts.
I want to also thank the Secaucus town employees who sponsored children by purchasing toys from their wish lists; and Patt Jakubowski and Chuck Gasser of Social Services, who put in long hours to see that the job got done and all our low income families had something to celebrate this year.
May God Bless you all for making the 2008 holiday season so special filled with the spirit of giving.
Lisa Snedeker
Director of Social Services