Thanksgiving marks the start of the season of giving. Many are donating their time, food, and services.
Leticia Wise is helping to lead a food drive and soup kitchen at the Friendship Baptist Church, where a Thanksgiving Day dinner will be served from noon to 4 p.m. The church started the dinner for senior citizens, many of whom have family members who are away. “Holidays are a time when families get together,” said Wise. “We just don’t want anyone to feel lonely.” She said that her church has seen an increasing sense of need in the community. “Nowadays, more than just a meal—finances, food, medical—it’s getting harder,” she said.
On Thanksgiving, teenagers volunteer to drop off food for seniors. “They don’t just drop it off, they go in and talk to the seniors and see if they’re alright,” Wise said. “It’s more about fellowship and making sure the community is okay.”
The spirit of giving
The Bayonne Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Give Thanks Food Drive, donating six turkeys to all 10 food pantries in the city. It coordinated with Bayonne Medical Center to donate four truckloads of food to be distributed to pantries throughout the city and to the Senior Center on 4th Street. “We have 1,200 to 1,600 meals, a four-day supply in those trucks,” said Robert Lewandoski, director of food and nutrition at Bayonne Medical Center. This is the first year the center has donated excess, nonperishable food to local pantries instead of donating the excess to state agencies. “As long as we have a local food drive, let’s take care of our hometown,” Lewandoski said.
The chamber held a networking and fundraising event to celebrate its “pay it forward” spirit at the Da Vinci Room on Thursday, November 17, with the $20 entry fee to be donated to local soup kitchens and food pantries.
“We want to pay it forward to the community,” said Gail Godesky, vice president of Provident Bank and a chamber member. “If you’re a successful business in Bayonne, you can afford to pay it forward,” she said. The chamber is currently working to become a nonprofit organization so that members can donate more. “People here don’t care whether they can write it off [on taxes] or not,” she said. “We just want to help.”
“We want to pay it forward to the community. If you’re a successful business in Bayonne, you can afford to pay it forward.” – Gail Godesky
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The excellent Manna Food Pantry
The Chamber honored Manna Food Pantry with a Certificate of Excellence. The pantry is run out of the Fair and Victory Deliverance Church of God. “Our goal is not only to offer nutritious meals, but to offer nutritional information,” said Erika George who runs the pantry with her husband Antonio George. “In urban areas, many are plagued with heart disease and diabetes, so we’re trying to help fight that.”
Manna serves more than 400 homeless and economically marginalized people every month, most from Bayonne. It is located on 118-120 Lord Avenue in Bayonne.
Local businesspeople and politicians attended the chamber event. Second Ward Councilman Sal Gullace said he admires the chamber’s charity. “It’s a great thing what they do,” he said. “They reach so many people.”
Rob Wondolowski of CarePoint Health said, “We’re happy to donate. We live in Bayonne and want to make sure we’re a part of the community. It’s really perfect because it keeps the food in town.”
Council member at Large Juan Perez was in a thankful and giving spirit. “It’s so important to give back. It gives me a satisfaction that you’re doing something,” he said. “Fortunately, God has been good to me, but it’s not like that for everyone.”
Samantha Howard, executive director of the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation, is in the business of giving and helping every day. The event “means a lot,” she said.
“The holiday spirit is kicking in so when the leaner months come around we’ll be ready,” she said, reminding everyone that “people are in need all year around.”
Volunteer opportunities
Reservations are available for a community Thanksgiving dinner for individuals and families that will take place on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, from 11:30 a.m. until 1p.m., at Back Bay Gardens, 535 Avenue A. Tickets are required for this dinner so that the organizers can provide the appropriate amount of food. The dinner is sponsored by The Bayonne Chapter of UNICO National, BCB Community Bank, and the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation (BEOF).
Tickets are free and are available at the BEOF’s main office at 555 Kennedy Boulevard, and at the nutritional programs at 535 Avenue A and 16 West 4th Street. For information, call Lori at the BEOF at (201) 437-7222.
Mike Masone of UNICO will serve as Head Chef.
The BEOF is Bayonne’s community action agency. UNICO is a nonprofit service organization associated with the Italian-American community. BCB Community Bank is headquartered in Bayonne, and has branches in Bayonne, Hoboken, Jersey City, and other communities.
Mayor James Davis in a letter to the editor of the Bayonne Community News said, “At this time of year, when some people in the community are doing well, we must remember those who are still in need.” He asked for anyone with the means to consider making a donation to Bayonne’s food pantries, which are sponsored by the following organizations: 1) the BEOF, 2) the Windmill Alliance/Highways, 3) Friendship Baptist Church, 4) Wallace Temple AME Zion Church, 5) First Assembly of God Church, 6) St. Vincent DePaul Roman Catholic Church, 7) St. Henry’s Roman Catholic Church, 8) St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church (Blessed Miriam Teresa Parish), and 9) Faith and Victory Deliverance Church of God.
Davis continued, “Anyone who is on the ladder of success should remember that we have an obligation to help those who are on the rungs below us and to assist those who have fallen off the ladder altogether.”
Rory Pasquariello may be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.