Christmas light shows raise nearly $14,000
By Nicole M. Wells, Special Writer
CRANBURY — If the money raised by resident Keith Shaw’s Christmas display during the season of light (shows) is any indication, 2015 will be a little bit brighter for those served by the He Cares, We Care food bank at Princeton Alliance Church.
According to Mr. Shaw, the total amount raised by last year’s Christmas Spectacular was close to $14,000.
“The amount we raised was truly a blessing for us to be a part of helping so many,” Mr. Shaw said. “Having so much in donations come in (and) helping to feed so many families (and) kids is truly a humbling experience.”
According to Mr. Shaw, the donation total for Cranbury Christmas Lights in 2013 was $6,140.14.
Pastor of Care and Community at Princeton Alliance Church Nathan Karcesky said that the money raised from the annual event goes a long way to helping people in need.
“All the funds that he raises go to the food pantry so it makes a huge impact,” he said. “The food pantry feeds roughly 35 to 40 families a week and so the need is huge in this area, surprisingly, so any funds that we get go directly to purchasing food to help these families.”
According to Mr. Karcesky, the Plainsboro area is a wealthy area yet there is still a certain group of people that is finding it hard to make ends meet.
“It hasn’t been until this year that we’ve seen an increase in the need for families to pick up food,” he said. “We spend probably close to $3,000 a month on food so $14,000 will help us cover three to four months.”
For his part, Mr. Shaw said that his family is glad to be able to make a difference in the lives of those who may be struggling.
“My entire family feels honored that we have been given this gift of doing such a beautiful display, that people come and see it and then are led to donate so much money,” he said.
When asked what he attributes 2014’s sizable increase to, Mr. Shaw said that he thinks the 36-foot mega tree, which was new to the display last year, was largely responsible.
At 46,000 lights, the mega tree had more lights on it than the tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City, which featured 45,000 lights, according to published reports.
The latest in computer technology also helped bring people out to the display, Mr. Shaw said.
“Another factor was getting a call from a company called Osprey Perspectives, (which) uses professional, full-size drones to shoot pictures and videos for advertising,” he said. “They offered to shoot a video and provide us with pictures from the drone. This video was then picked up by many media organizations.”
National media outlets picked up the story about Mr. Shaw’s Christmas display when it was reported that his mega tree outshone Rockefeller Center’s.
In addition to the benefit his annual light display brings to the food bank, Mr. Shaw said that he thinks it also helps downtown businesses during the month it occurs.
“I cannot tell you how many people told me they stopped at one of the local restaurants for dinner, coffee or hot chocolate before coming to see the display,” he said.
The Christmas Spectacular is an annual event in which Mr. Shaw conducts light shows from his front lawn throughout the month of December for the purpose of raising money for the He Cares, We Care food bank at Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro.