Category: Bright Side

Former New Jersey Senator William Gormley (far right), Atlantic City Attorney Lee Levine (fourth from left) and their families get ready to deliver non-perishable groceries and other essential products to individuals and families in need in Atlantic County. The Gormley and Levine families generously donated $10,000 to Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties to purchase merchandise for the Food Pantry. (Photo courtesy of Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties)

Margate, NJ (July 22, 2020) – Former New Jersey Senator William Gormley and his family along with Atlantic City Attorney Lee Levine and his family presented a generous donation of $10,000 to Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties. In addition to the generous financial contribution, the Gormley and Levine families gathered their kids and grandkids to give their time to deliver bags of food to community members in need.

Each week, approximately 30 families are delivered essential food through a contactless drop-off. With a 79% increase in Food Pantry requests, the contribution will be used to purchase non-perishable food and other essential products to support individuals and families in need throughout Atlantic County. Top pantry items include cereal, hearty soups, peanut butter, tuna and pasta.

“For more than 30 years, Senator Gormley proudly served the residents of New Jersey and while he may be retired from the government, his commitment to helping his constituents of our state continues to this day,” said Andrea Steinberg, JFS Chief Executive Officer. “At JFS, we are thankful to the Gormley and Levine families for their dedication to help those in need, especially during this unprecedented time.”

Since mid-March, JFS’ Food Pantry has experienced a substantial increase in usage. With more than 27,000 employees from the Atlantic City hotel/casino industry alone unemployed or underemployed, and many commercial and private businesses that ceased or reduced operation, the need for JFS’ Pantry has increased drastically. On average, the agency pantry served 200 people monthly and currently, we are helping in excess of 225 individuals and families per week.

“We are doing this in the spirit of Sam Greenberg whose life was about uniting the people on Absecon island,” said Bill Gormley.

For those looking to follow their lead, non-perishable food and other essential products for the JFS Food Pantry are also being accepted at the Galloway Police Department and Pleasantville Police Department as well as Linwood City Hall and Ventnor City Hall. Those interested in volunteering may contact Vanessa Smith, JFS Volunteer Services Supervisor at vsmith@jfsatlantic.org or call 609.822.1108, x249 for ways to get involved.

To make a secure on-line donation, visit jfsatlantic.org or mail a check to Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties, 607 North Jerome Avenue, Margate, NJ 08402. For more information on programs and services, contact 609.822.1108, x1.

About Jewish Family Service

Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties (JFS) encourages strong families, thriving children, healthy adults, energized seniors and vital communities. With dozens of program areas, JFS specializes in counseling, mental health services, homeless programs, vocational services, adult and older adult services and also hosts an on-site food pantry. The agency impacts 8,000 lives throughout Atlantic and Cape May Counties each year.

JFS’ mission is to motivate and empower people to realize their potential and enhance their quality of life. In keeping with Jewish values and the spirit of tikkun olam (healing the world), JFS provides services with integrity, compassion, respect and professionalism regardless of their religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age or background.

For more information or to keep up-to-date with JFS events and programs, visit www.jfsatlantic.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Award-winning sand sculptors, husband and wife team of John Gowdy and Laura Cimador, stand proudly alongside their sand replica of the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey in ShopRite of West Berlin. Their two-day, live build kickstarted a summer sand castle contest to raise money for the RMHSNJ. Pictured, from left, are: Brian Walsh, community outreach coordinator for RMHSNJ; George Veit, store manager of ShopRite of West Berlin; John Gowdy; Laura Cimador; and Vince Squillacioti, assistant store manager of ShopRite of West Berlin (Image provided).

West Berlin, N.J. – A bit of the Jersey shore made its way into an aisle of ShopRite of West Berlin, capturing the attention and amazement of customers. Standing at 6 feet tall, a detailed sand replica of the Ronald McDonald House in Camden is now a centerpiece of the store, created onsite earlier this week by renowned artist John Gowdy and wife, Laura Cimador. The two-day build and finished structure are part of an effort to inspire a friendly sand castle competition that will raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey (RMHSNJ) this summer.

The replica, made of approximately 400 pounds of sand, will remain at ShopRite of West Berlin under plexiglass through Sept. 8. Gowdy has used sand to express himself ever since he was a child, so he hopes to inspire others to unleash their creativity through the RMHSNJ summer sand castle fundraiser.

To enter, team leaders for five or fewer people pay $30, and leaders of six or more people pay $60.

Register at https://ronaldhouse-snj.org/event/sandcastle-contest. Each team will submit a photo of its creation, with a 12-inch ruler next to it for size reference. All teams and creations must sport a creative name. 

Entries are due by Aug. 31. 

Zallie-Somerset Stores, owners of ShopRite of West Berlin and 10 other stores in the area, has an ongoing, supportive relationship with RMHSNJ; owner David Zallie is on the Board of Trustees. In addition to hosting this event, the company has donated funds and products, and its employees have served dinner at the House. This sand castle contest will help replace revenue that would have come from events that were cancelled due to the pandemic.

Zallie-Somerset Stores owner David Zallie said ShopRite was excited to host the event. “An event like this brings joy to families during a very challenging time in our world,” he said. “The West Berlin ShopRite is thrilled to support a positive cause while providing its customers a safe and fun opportunity to smile.”

Giuliana Zallie, director of marketing and wellness, shared how this event is an opportunity to reinforce the commitment of Zallie-Somerset Stores to its communities. “The pandemic has put much of our focus on serving the community through our response to customers’ shopping needs and experiences, but we know that many of the nonprofits we support also need our help. This sand castle build and competition is a creative way to run a safe, larger-scale fundraiser, and we look forward to thinking outside of the box in the coming months to continue our support of organizations that play important roles in the community.”

Gowdy and Cimador worked together over two days, July 20 and 21, to build the Ronald McDonald House replica, while RMHSNJ representatives helped educate customers passing by about the sand castle contest. Prizes to be awarded on Labor Day include the best sand castle for teams under 12 years old, the best sand castle for teams over 12 years old, the largest sand castle, the tiniest sand castle, and the sand castle with the best name.

Gowdy was born in Atlantic City, where he served with the Atlantic City Fire Department for 27 years. After living in northeastern Italy for the last 10 years, he and Cimador moved to their current residence in Galloway, N.J., with their two sons, Ludovico and Filippo. Since placing third in his first competition in 1992, Gowdy has won the North American, International and World Championships of Sand Sculpture, along with many other competitions. Working closely with his wife as a team, the pair’s masterful works come from decades of practice painting and sculpting with various materials, and many of their creations can be seen on their website, johngowdy.com.

About Zallie-Somerset Stores

Zallie-Somerset Stores, branded as Zallie’s Fresh Kitchen, is the regional collection of ShopRite stores in Medford, Lawnside, Gibbstown, West Berlin, West Deptford, Williamstown, Chews Landing, Laurel Hill, Glassboro and Sicklerville, all in southern New Jersey, and Knorr Street in Philadelphia. ShopRite stores are independently owned and operated as part of the Wakefern Food Corp. Cooperative.

About Ronald McDonald House Southern New Jersey

RMHSNJ is one of more than 350 Houses around the world that offer hope, help and home to critically ill children and their families. For over 37 years, RMHSNJ has been a “home away from home” for more than 29,000 families whose children are receiving life-saving treatments for critical illnesses and traumatic injuries.

Each year, approximately 700 families hail from many foreign countries and every state in the U.S. Located in the heart of Camden, RMHSNJ is staffed 24 hours a day with a small staff and hundreds of volunteers. The house has 25 spacious bedroom suites, each with a unique theme such as Animal Friends, Sesame Street, Harry Potter and the Phillies. RMHSNJ also operates eleven Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in Southern New Jersey hospitals with large pediatric units. For more information on RMHSNJ, go to www.ronaldhouse-snj.org.

TRENTON, N.J. – In a big win for conservation and bi-partisanship collaboration, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act (310 to 107) on July 22, 2020. The Great American Outdoors Act will permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million a year and provide $9.5 billion over five years to repair aged infrastructure at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas.

These dollars will benefit outdoor areas in the Delaware River Watershed (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) through Land and Water Conservation Fund programs. The Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act by 73 to 25 on June 17^th. It now heads to the President Trump who is expected to sign the bill into law.

“The Land and Water Conservation Fund has never had stable funding, making the Great American Outdoors Act a welcome, but overdue investment in public lands. The Delaware River Watershed states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware have all benefited from previous Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars, and we’re excited to see permanent and increased funding flow to our outdoor recreation infrastructure and protect land from development in the watershed,” said Sandra Meola, Director, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed. “The Delaware River Watershed’s parks and open spaces are a haven for outdoor recreation, from hiking to kayaking to fishing. Preserving these spaces is not only good for our physical and mental well-being, it’s also good for the economy.”

Previously, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has provided funding to locations in all four Delaware River Watershed states, including the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (NY and PA), Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River (NY and PA), Brandywine Battlefield (PA), Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (PA and NJ), Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge (PA), John Heinz Tinicum National Wildlife Reserve (PA), Pinelands National Reserve (NJ), Cape May National Wildlife Refuge (NJ), Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge (DE), and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge (DE).

“The Great American Outdoors Act is a landmark piece of legislation in conservation history. It will ensure our natural resources and outdoor recreation areas endure for future generations here in New Jersey, in the Delaware River Watershed, and across America. This legislation will also accelerate our economic recovery from the recent public health crisis by creating thousands of jobs and supporting an outdoor recreation economy. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan legislation in the House and send it to the President’s desk,” stated Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11).

Created in 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund was established to “safeguard natural areas, water resources, and cultural heritage; and to provide recreation opportunities to all Americans.” The program involves land acquisition to safeguard wilderness from development and provides local grants for the restoration and protection of parks, monuments, and trails.

“The Land and Water Conservation Fund has benefited Delaware’s natural resources in the past, and we’re looking forward to this continued investment in conservation. Since the fund’s inception, Delaware has received a total of $61.2 million in federal funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, $24.3 million through the federal land acquisition grants program and $36.9 million through annual allocation to states. Federal funding has supported many projects, including restoration at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and supplementing funding for projects like the Southbridge Wilmington Wetlands Park,” added Anne Harper, Executive Director, Delaware Nature Society.

While the Great American Outdoors Act provides $9.5 billion to fix and repair aged national park infrastructure, the National Park Service recently estimated its deferred maintenance at $12 billion.

The U.S. National Park Service has identified three locations in the Delaware River Watershed in need of funds for deferred maintenance on roads, structures, buildings, and capital improvements: the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (PA and NJ) has a $161 million need, the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River has a $4 million need (NY and PA), and First State National Historical Park (DE) has a $2 million need.

“The Land and Water Conservation Fund is our nation’s most important conservation funding program helping to protect special places in the Delaware River Watershed, such as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail viewshed and corridor, and more recently, over 4,000 acres of land for Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge. With full and dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the pace of conservation can accelerate and access to the outdoors expanded for everyone,” said Mark Zakutansky, Director of Conservation Policy Engagement, Appalachian Mountain Club.

The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed is a network of over 150 non-governmental organizations located in NY, NJ, PA, and DE, and are dedicated to protecting and restoring the natural resources of the Delaware River Basin. For more information, visit click here.