OCEANFRONT REDEVELOPER PROVIDES 100 TURKEYS TO ASBURY FAMILIES, IN COOPERATION WITH JF&CS AND THE ASBURY/NEPTUNE MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE

Asbury Park, N.J. – Needy Asbury Park families got a taste of holiday goodwill Monday (11/20), as Asbury Partners teamed up with Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JF&CS) of Greater Monmouth County to distribute 35 turkeys and canned food to provide Thanksgiving meals for families that might otherwise go without.  The drive was part of a 100-turkey donation to needy families of Asbury Park by Asbury Partners, with that include a distribution by the Asbury/Neptune Ministerial Alliance on Friday the 17th. 

Larry Fishman, chief operating officer of Asbury Partners, was on hand Monday for the drive with members of the JF&CS staff, giving turkeys to deserving families.

“As part of our overall mission to the community, we feel it is important to provide to those who might not be able to provide for themselves,” said Fishman.  “To truly rebuild and improve Asbury Park means going beyond the actual construction of new buildings.  It means revitalizing the spirit and hope of this great city.  You can see this happen before your eyes whenever a local job is created or a family is provided with a warm holiday meal.”

“With the canned food we’ve collected and Asbury Partners’ donation of turkeys, we are able to help local families in need celebrate Thanksgiving together with a healthy, hearty meal,” said Cohen.  “And providing for these families doesn’t end here.  In a typical one-month we will provide over 90 food referrals, 18 checks for emergency financial aid, and more than 70 counseling sessions - to put the aid recipient back on the path to self-sufficiency.”

This is the third consecutive year that Asbury Partners has provided food for the needy for Thanksgiving.  Last year the company served meals to 60 families at a Trinity Episcopal Church.  This year’s turkey and canned food drive was coordinated with JF&CS, as a part of the organization’s community initiative, Project First Step.

Project First Step is in its eighth year of operation, and provides needy Asbury Park residents with a counseling program for emergency aid clients, drug and alcohol counseling and general community outreach.

“This was a chance for us to find a new way to be helpful to the community, and it would not have been possible without being able to work with strong community,” said Fishman. 

Asbury Partners also donated 65 turkeys to the Asbury/Neptune Ministerial Alliance, a group that regularly services needy area families with clothes and food, and yearly Thanksgiving food drives.  The group was especially excited to be able to give away a large group of turkeys this year.

“We’ve never been able to give out so many turkeys on one Thanksgiving food drive,” said the Asbury/Neptune Ministerial Alliance’s President-elect, Rev. John Bradley.  “There is such a great need in our community, and it is rewarding to be able to help fill that need. 

Asbury Partners is planning on working with the city and the Asbury Park Fire Department in December to distribute toys to needy children for the holidays.