MANALAPAN – For several months each year for the past six years, the Manalapan home of Jamie and Gerald Bruno has been transformed into a mini-supermarket.
Six years ago, a friend of Jamie Bruno was planning to assist a few families in need at Thanksgiving. Bruno, who has three children and sits on the board of the Manalapan Soccer Club, got involved and the effort resulted in the preparation of 20 baskets of food.
The initial effort which primarily involved the sports community has grown to where, on Nov. 23, Bruno and dozens of volunteers delivered 708 holiday meals.
The effort is sponsored by the Manalapan Soccer Club and has now stretched beyond Manalapan and Englishtown to assist people in Marlboro, Freehold (through St. Rose of Lima Church), Asbury Park, Long Branch, Keansburg, Woodbridge, Neptune, Brick Township and Monroe Township (through Old Ship of Zion Church), she said in an interview.
The 2019 food drive saw thousands of items collected and sorted into holiday meals. Each family receives a basket that contains a turkey or a ham, vegetables, stuffing, pasta, sauce, gravy and paper products, Bruno said.
If the volunteers know a family has a special need, then “a little extra” food is included, she said.
“This food drive is pretty amazing and a great lesson for a lot of kids,” said Bruno, who has lived in Manalapan for 50 years, starred as an athlete at Manalapan High School and is now a special education teacher at the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School (MEMS) and the coach of the school’s girls soccer and basketball teams.
“We try to involve everyone, not just sports teams. There are a lot of groups that want to partake in this effort. It is great to see the kids and adults working together,” she said. “There are PBA organizations, churches, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and schools.
“We received assistance from MEMS and from the Science and Engineering and the Law Enforcement and Public Service programs at Manalapan High School. We also had locations where people could drop-off food and then we brought it to my house,” Bruno said.
The drop-off locations included Max Fitness, the Manalapan municipal building, Advanced Wellness, Rick’s Feed, Yoga Solace, Orange Theory and Studio 455.
Four Boys Ice Cream, Englishtown, stored the turkeys that were donated for the food drive.
Bruno said the Marlboro High School and Freehold High School girls team sponsored families.
“I come from a family of five children and my parents taught us to give back to the community. I would like to keep doing it as long the community is willing to participate. My goal is to try and include everyone to donate. Everyone can make an impact” and help others, she said.
