The culmination of a month-long food drive to benefit the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties brought those who donated nonperishable items back to Howell Ice World in Howell on Dec. 18 for a special free skate event to thank them for their efforts in helping the Hearts for Hunger campaign.
Hearts for Hunger was co-sponsored by Howell Ice World and Greater Media Newspapers.
The Dec. 18 event featured live entertainment by vocalists Casey Rochelle of Wall Township, C.J. Marsini of Middletown, and Lianah Sta. Ana of Freehold.
Atotal of 500 cans of food plus five additional bags of pasta and stuffing were donated to the food bank, according to Daryl O’Connell, vice president of business development at Howell Ice World. Funds from the event were also donated to the special-needs skating program held at Howell Ice World.
An ice-skating Santa Claus handed out candy canes while keeping holiday spirits soaring as attendees glided along the ice.
George Haviland, the owner of Howell IceWorld, said, “We were thrilled to co-sponsor the eventwithGreaterMediaNewspapers and look forward to doing it again next year. We plan to make it an annual event at the arena. This is an event that brings awareness to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The need for food is ongoing, not just during the holidays but throughout the whole year. With the economy as it is and people struggling, the food bank states that one in every six children goes to bed hungry.”
Linda Keenan, director of development at the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, said the organization continues to see an increase in the number of people in Monmouth and Ocean counties who need food. She said that in the previous year, the organization provided emergency food to 127,500 people, and 51,000 of those people were children.
“We really depend on help from the community,” Keenan said. “And when organizations come out to help us, it really does help us and it helps the local families who are struggling in our community. This is an example of organizations that make a difference.”
The three young performers enjoyed helping the community as well.
Lianah, 12, a seventh-grader at the Barkalow Middle School, Freehold Township, sang “Grown Up Christmas List” by Natalie Cole, “Halo” by Beyonce, and “Talking to the Moon” by Bruno Mars.
She said, “I wanted to sing at Hearts for Hunger to help the charity because I wanted people to have what they need and something to eat— especially on special days like holidays — just like me.”
C.J., a 16-year-old singer/actor and a junior at Middletown South High School, sang “The Christmas Song,” “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5, and “Believe” from the movie “The Polar Express.”
CJ said, “I sang at the event because I think giving back to the community is very important. As a performer, getting to share my talents to help others is very rewarding and better than just singing to get paid. It means a lot to the people we are helping.”
Casey, 18, a senior at Wall High School, sang “Someone Like You” by Adele and “Dear John” by Taylor Swift.
Casey has been singing since she was 5 and currently studies with vocal coach Mary Lough of Point Pleasant. She enjoys singing music froma variety of genres including pop, rock, Broadway, country, and rhythm and blues.
Casey said she enjoys singing and also loves to help those who are less fortunate than she is.
“I enjoy using my voice to give back to the community whenever possible,” she said.
Rick Gardner, who serves on the board of trustees for the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, attended the event with his wife, Paula.
Gardner said, “The need for food in our communities has increased as harsh economic times have fallen across the region. Today, the FoodBank serves over 260 pantries, soup kitchens and other feeding programs with almost 7 million pounds of food distributed annually.
“The food bank also operates a culinary training program for people in need of betterpaying jobs, a Kids Café and Backpack program for children, a mobile pantry, and a food stamp outreach program. With the help of roughly 1,000 volunteers each year, the food bank’s programs are truly a community effort, working to eliminate hunger by providing emergency food, skills training, outreach programs and advocacy for families in need.
“The team at Howell Ice World exemplifies the attributes of community effort and caring about their neighbors; it is the foundation of what makes Howell Ice World a family experience. On behalf of the food bank, I would like to thank Howell Ice World and all who contributed to help those less fortunate in our neighborhoods,” he said.
Ben Cannizzaro, publisher of Greater Media Newspapers, a group of 11 weekly newspapers in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties, said, “It is important to bring awareness to a problem that continues to grow, particularly in these difficult economic times. We at Greater Media Newspapers are certainly proud to participate and provide whatever assistance we can to such a worthwhile initiative.”