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January 2021 • Number 81
Fulfill “Fills” Another Community Need
Jim Kroeze, Fulfill’s Chief Operating Officer came to us back in October with a need for a work van. Due to COVID on the rise, that need quickly turned into two. It just so happens that our friend Jim Sigurdson over at Meals on Wheels of Ocean County was donating two of his used vans to us! Over the past year, Jim Sigurdson has already donated three pre-owned work vehicles to Causeway. The two vans now make for a total of five vehicles donated to us from Meals on Wheels! We are happy to have found the perfect home for the two vans over at Fulfill, where they will be put to good use! Before we donate the vans to Fulfill, we have them inspected in our Ford Service Department. Service checks for safety and mechanical issues and repairs or replaces needed items. Thank you again, Jim Sigurdson! With food insecurity soaring at the Jersey Shore since the onset of the pandemic, Fulfill FoodBank has made it a priority to ensure all people in need are identified and fed. To help reach the people who have fallen through the cracks during this unprecedented time, Fulfill has expanded its partnerships in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. That expansion includes a program with local
Left to Right: Chris Varner – Used Vehicle Merchandising Manager, David Wintrode – General Manager, Joe Stroffolino – Director of Advertising and Marketing, Tracy Wilson – Fulfill Food Sourcing Coordinator, Kim Guadagno - Fulfill President & CEO, Dave Wintrode – President of The Causeway Family of Dealerships, Linda Kellner - Fulfill Director of Development & External Relations and Jim Kroeze – Fulfill Chief Operating Officer. hospitals to identify more of our neighbors who are having trouble putting food on the table and need help due to COVID-19 - through illness, loss of income, and hard times. Specifically, hospital employees, new and expectant
mothers, and patients with severe COVID-19 cases, cancer, and other long-term illnesses who are struggling, are being provided much needed food by Fulfill seven days a week.
Who is Fulfill? The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties is now Fulfill. They changed their name, because they’re doing more than ever to change lives in our communities for the better. Their new name reflects the fact that today they focus on more than food distribution. It reflects their commitment to fulfill more of the needs of our neighbors and win the battle against hunger. It reflects their comprehensive approach that goes beyond providing food and helps those in need get to a place where they can get back on their feet for good.
Since the Hospital Partnership Program started in November, Fulfill has provided food to approximately 60 families in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Many of these families have also received assistance signing up for SNAP (food stamps), affordable housing, and health insurance from Fulfill’s Resource Connections Team with the goal of getting families back on their feet. In just this short time, Fulfill has served more than 6,000 meals to our neighbors in need identified through this program.
to help us keep up with demand. Restaurants receive a seven-dollar stipend per meal. The process helps keep restaurant employees working, while feeding those in need.
The meals are being made at both of Fulfill’s commercial kitchens, in Neptune and Toms River. Participating businesses in our Restaurant Partnership Program are also preparing meals
Pre-pandemic, Fulfill was feeding 136,000 people, including 50,000 children. Today, Fulfill is feeding 215,000 people, including 70,000 children. Fulfill has served 3.3 million more meals since
Ending hunger in our communities is a complex challenge, so Fulfill provides a full suite of programs to provide the resources people need to become self-sufficient. Fulfill’s mission is to alleviate hunger and build food security in Monmouth & Ocean Counties and to make sure that all people at all times have access to enough nutritious food to maintain an active and healthy life. Fulfill has a network of 289 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, day programs, group homes, and more that we work closely with to feed our neighbors in need. the coronavirus crisis affected the Jersey Shore. Donations to Fulfill from the Wintrode Family Foundation and the Causeway Family of Dealerships, which includes two retrofitted trucks to be used to transport meals, have helped us meet the growing demand, which Feeding America estimates will climb to a 56 percent increase within the coming months.
Ways to Help Fulfill Donate Food Fulfill food donations are sorted and distributed quickly! They accept non-perishable food donations at two locations:
WHAT'S INSIDE SEE PAGE 2 Sports Beat SEE PAGE 3 Commercial Truck Offers SEE PAGE 4 Ford E-Transit Powers the Future of Business SEE PAGE 5 Oil Change Coupon SEE PAGE 6 Used Car Specials SEE PAGE 7 Altima and Sentra Earn Safety Awards From IIHS SEE PAGE 8 American Wear Donates Winter Coats SEE PAGE 9 Honda Accord Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick SEE PAGE 10 Safety Technologies Featured in New Hyundais SEE PAGE 11 Kids Corner Activity Page SEE PAGE 12 Family Promise
The
Causeway Gazette For information or to advertise in The Causeway Gazette please call 609.713.6706 or visit www.CausewayGazette.com email: CausewayGazette@gmail.com
Editor: Joe Stroffolino
Neptune Facility (Monmouth County) 3300 Route 66 • Neptune, NJ 07753 732-918-2600 Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm The B.E.A.T. Center (Ocean County) 1769 Hooper Avenue • Toms River, NJ 08753 732-731-1400 Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Donate Funds Fulfill is a Charity Navigator 4-star charity, with 96¢ of every dollar donated going directly to our neighbors in need in the form of food and other programs that strengthen our communities forever. Donate By Phone (Using Credit Card) 732-918-2600 x5856 Donate By Check (Check or Money Order): Fulfill Monmouth & Ocean 3300 Route 66 Neptune, NJ 07753 Donate Online: https://fulfillnj.org/ways-to-help/
Assistant Editor: Kaitlyn Strohmeier Publisher: Melissa Hill Creative/Comp: Keith Stewart, Theresa Maye, Andy Rosenthal Marketing: Bryan Whelan © 2021. All rights reserved.
Volunteer There’s nothing more fulfilling than personally seeing the results of your life-changing work. That’s what happens when you volunteer and work with us as a team to make sure hunger won’t win here in our communities.
Help sort food or suggest a role that puts your skills to best use to help our neighbors. They can even tailor your volunteer tasks to your skills. Visit: https://fulfillnj.org/ways-to-help/volunteer/ Who is Meals on Wheels? Our friend Jim Sigurdson is the Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of Ocean County! They deliver hot, nutritious meals to our seniors’ homes Monday through Friday and for the most frail and vulnerable, weekends and holidays. All of their menus are approved by a qualified nutritionist, and provide at least one-third of the daily dietary recommendation set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nutrition education and counseling are also provided under this program. Meals on Wheels Mission – “We are driven by a passionate belief that senior citizens deserve to lead happy, healthy and above all, meaningful lives. From forty years of experience, we know the best way to accomplish this: By doing everything we can to keep them in the environment where they’re most comfortable—at home.” To learn more about Meals on Wheels, please call them at 609-978-6868 or email info@csimow.org. To donate to Meals on Wheels, please visit their website: csimow.org/donations/