Thank You for Helping Our Neighbors |
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Thank you for providing healthy meals for our financially struggling neighbors.
Grab-and-go meal service and Client Choice pantry pickups were brisk during April and May. Since January, you have helped to provide more than 35,000 meals and more than 8,000 pantry pickups for those struggling with financial insecurity. Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission!
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COVID-19 Emergency Fund Update |
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Staff and volunteers processed 121 COVID-19 Emergency Fund applications in March and awarded assistance grants to 98 applicants. More than $44,000 was distributed to vendors for the payment of insurance, utility, cable and phone bills, as well as car payments. In May, 36 additional applications were approved and more than $15,000 was dispersed for payments. This vital relief supports our clients in their goals to stay employed, healthy, and connected. |
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Alliance for Success Partnership
with Red Bank Regional
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Lunch Break Life Skills Program is teaming up with Red Bank Regional High School and other community partners, including Brookdale Community College and Workforce Development, to provide an exciting and comprehensive two-year mentorship program for rising high school juniors and seniors. There are 19 students committed to the inaugural installment. Trained mentors will work with participants on a weekly basis following a curriculum that covers life skills, career and college readiness, writing, financial literacy, and social/emotional support. Good luck to all! For more information, please contact Marcel Quinones at [email protected] or (732) 747-8577, Ext. 3202.
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Life Skills Program: A Positive Force for Change |
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A.R.'s dream was to help others through healing. This bright and energetic young woman was planning on a nursing career, however, an administrative tangle was holding up the release of her high school diploma and jeopardizing any chance at enrolling in nurse's training. She sought the Life Skills Center for assistance. After A.R.'s coach Mike Everett did a little digging and placed a few phone calls to the right people ... voila, the problem was solved! Now A.R. is on her way to becoming a nurse.
"It's all about breaking down barriers," Mike explains. This anecdote sums up the impact of the Life Skills Program. A caring mentor and motivated mentee can be a positive force for change.
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Jon Stewart to Host 2021 Fall Gala on October 15th |
Former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart will be the guest host for Lunch Break’s annual Fall Gala “We Rise Together: Restoring and Rebuilding Lives” on Friday, October 15th, 2021 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank. This year’s honorees include such philanthropic and distinguished community leaders as Lunch Break Advisory Council Member Carol Stillwell, President and CEO of Stillwell-Hansen, Inc., Norma Todd Service Award; former Lunch Break Board President John Klein and his wife, Board Member Robin Klein, Heart to Hand Award; and Guttenplan’s Frozen Dough, A Child’s Place School, Lincroft, and Abe and Linda Littenberg, Corporate Platinum Partner Award.
“We are looking forward to this year’s Gala with great excitement,” says Executive Director Gwendolyn Love. “We are thrilled to have Jon Stewart as our host and are excited to have the Count Basie Center for the Arts as our venue. I couldn’t be more proud of our honorees, who exemplify Lunch Break’s mission in their lives and work every day.”
The evening, which takes place from 6:30-11 p.m., will feature dinner, dancing, entertainment, raffles and special auction. Tickets are $400 per person; seating is limited. Proceeds will benefit Lunch Break’s mission of providing food security, social services, clothing, fellowship and life skills to those struggling with financial insecurity in Monmouth County and beyond. Please contact Development Manager Jill Govel-Gwydir, [email protected], (732) 747-8577, Ext. 3107 for sponsorship opportunities and/or to inquire about tickets.
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Kid's Day on July 17th Focuses on Outdoor Fun |
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Looking for some local mid-summer fun for the kids? Kid's Day at Pilgrim Baptist Church, 172 Shrewsbury Ave., Red Bank, is your answer! Families with children up to age 11 are invited to join in some outdoor recreation, featuring games, prizes and healthy treats from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 17th. Parents or adult guardians and masks are required, thank you.
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Operations Department Update |
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- The Mobile Community Garden Market once again began delivering fresh produce and goods to seven senior centers in the area on Thursdays. We now have a new refrigerated van, acquired through grant funds from ACME Markets Foundation, Columbia Bank Foundation and Fulfill, to ensure our produce is fresh for recipients.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Robbie Thornton |
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How did you first hear about Lunch Break?
I first heard about Lunch Break in 1989, through my uncle and cousin, who would volunteer for Mrs. Norma Todd.
I've been a volunteer for 11/12 years.
Where did you serve?
I started out in the summer helping to organize backpacks and supplies for schoolchildren in the community. I also served on the Food Stock-Up committee; as a sous chef in the kitchen; as an intake volunteer in Client Choice pantry; as a donor office volunteer providing receipts for donations; as an office, interior and pantry painter; as a welcome desk volunteer; and as an elf during holiday concerts at the Count Basie Center.
What is my favorite volunteer role?
I enjoyed every one. I am so gratified by working with clients at Lunch Break. I like the idea of being relevant in someone else's life. I appreciate opportunities to meet new people.
Highlight/Memory?
During an annual gala, a donor surprised me with tickets to the Broadway play "Wicked," which had been one of the evening's raffle prizes. I had to research the donor's address to send a handwritten thank you.
Why I Break?
I break to give other people a little peace of mind. I find it disgraceful that people have a difficult time purchasing food, medication and clothing, paying their bills -- all necessities for a quality of life. Lunch Break provides a host of services for our community members. No one is ever judged or turned away, and everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Compiled by Volunteer Coordinator Angela Jackson
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Welcome New Team Member Frankie Ashe |
We welcome new employee Frankie Ashe to Team Lunch Break. Frankie helps to ensure the pantry and kitchen are stocked. He assists maintenance with landscape upkeep. He organizes our inbound deliveries and donations of fresh and perishable food.
There’s never a shortage of activity in our busy maintenance and food service departments and Frankie is here to help get the jobs done!
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Melissa and Trevor Schulze coordinated a a game bag drive on behalf of the Oceanport Boy Scouts. The games were distributed to families in need at our game day distribution. |
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Michael Levine, founder of The Social Conscience Project, collected more than 200 toys for Kid’s Fun Day at Pilgrim Baptist Church, Red Bank, in July. |
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The parents and students of Meadow Flower School in Fair Haven donated 153 pounds of non-perishable food for our Client Choice pantry, helping us stock our pantry for the summer to accommodate families whose children are no longer receiving free or reduced-cost lunch at school.
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Consider making your gift monthly! Monthly support gives us the security of reliable year-round revenue, keeping our pantry shelves stocked and our meals ready to serve to those in need.
$12 = 36 hot meals/year
$24 = 72 hot meals/year
$50 = 12 large bags of groceries/year
$100 = 24 large bags of groceries/year
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Plant-based Recipe
The Launcher Quesadilla
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As part of our Wellness Initiative, we are promoting healthy eating, focusing on plant-based meals. Try this plant-based quesadilla for a quick summer lunch or dinner.
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Thank you for your kindness and compassion. |
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If someone you know needs assistance, please contact Lunch Break at 732-747-8577.
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Lunch Break Today News Team: Ellen McCarthy, Editor; Megan Crudele, Luke Carberry Mogan and Tracy Ryan, Writers.
Creative Team: Gwen Love, Executive Director; Jill Govel-Gwydir, Development & Marketing Manager; Ellen McCarthy, Communications & Public Relations Coordinator.
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LunchBreak
121 Drs. James Parker Boulevard
Red Bank, NJ 07701
(732) 747-8577
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