TINTON FALLS – Ranney School families donated $16,242 to Lunch Break on June 2. The community service initiative was led by the Zugel family of Holmdel (Lucia ’23 and Ashleigh ’16) and the Uzzi family of Fair Haven (Christina ’22, Michael ’24 and Nicholas ’29), who inspired other Ranney families to join them in donating to Lunch Break or to support increased need-based financial aid.
Lunch Break, which is based in Red Bank, freely provides food, clothing, life skills and fellowship to individuals in need in Monmouth County and beyond, according to its website.
According to a press release from the school, the families were inspired to lend their support in response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, which has led to job loss and significant hardship for families in the community.
With schools closed and people working from home, food banks have seen a significant increase in the number of families seeking help, according to the press release.
Ranney School students and families have a long history of supporting Lunch Break, including school-wide food drives, volunteering at the organization and donating produce grown in the school’s community garden, according to the press release.
Ranney Head of School John Griffith, Lucia Zugel ’23, and Griffith’s daughter Claire ’27 were on hand to present the gift to Gwendolyn Love, executive director of Lunch Break.
“It’s just overwhelming to say the least to see how the Ranney community embraces Lunch Break,” Love said.
“I am immensely proud of these students and their families for their leadership, and I am grateful for the generosity and strength of the Ranney community,” Griffith said.
In the press release, the Zugel family said, “Lucia was seeing the drastic increase of people depending on the food bank and was worried that with kids out of school they would not get fed. We care very much about combating food insecurity through support of Lunch Break.”
“So many people are struggling,” the Uzzi family said in the press release. “We are proud to be part of a community that saw the need and responded in whatever way they could to help.”
