The Causeway Gazette August 2020 Issue #76

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Causeway Gazette The

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Proudly serving Manahawkin and surrounding communities

Number 76

Left to Right: Chris Varner Used Vehicle Merchandising Manager, Joe Stroffolino Director of Advertising and Marketing, Mike Babich Food Pantry Team Member, Jim Sigurdson Executive Director of Meals on Wheels, Dave Wintrode President of the Causeway Family of Dealerships, Dennis Banfield Food Pantry Team Member, David Wintrode General Manager, Roberta Babich Food Pantry Team Member, Corey Gellis General Sales Manager, Stacy Grogan Food Pantry Team Member, Pastor Philip Bakelaar, and Don Smith Food Pantry Team Member.

Ocean Community Church Receives Causeway’s “CauseWheels” Vehicle Donation Program With the celebration of The Causeway Family of Dealerships 50th anniversary concluded, we continue with a new yearlong campaign – “CauseWheels” Vehicle Donation Program - to help our neighbors and positively impact Ocean County. At the end of 2019, Causeway had two requests for vehicle donations to local non-profit organizations. We were able to accommodate each of these requests. This prompted an idea to follow up last year’s 50th Anniversary Grant program. Anchoring this campaign is the CauseWheels vehicle donation program, through which Causeway will award a used vehicle to one Ocean County nonprofit every month, from February through December of 2020. Due to Covid-19 we had to postpone our April and May winners. To recap, our February winner was Main Street Alliance Church and our March winner was 21 Plus, Inc.!

WHAT'S INSIDE New Thoracic Surgeon Joins Hospital How Will Pets Cope When We Return To Work? Adoptable Pets Escape Earns Top Spot In J.D. Power Study Oil Change Coupon Summer Sales Event Used Cars Nissan Most-Awarded Mass Market Brand Navigator Earns Top Large Premium SUV Award NJ Utilities Won’t Reimburse For Spoiled Food Sonata Named One of Best User Experiences Kids Corner Activity Page The

Causeway Gazette For information or to advertise in The Causeway Gazette please call 609.713.6706 or visit www.CausewayGazette.com email: CausewayGazette@gmail.com

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Editor: Joe Stroffolino Assistant Editor: Kaitlyn Strohmeier Publisher: Melissa Hill Creative/Comp: Keith Stewart, Theresa Maye, Andy Rosenthal Marketing: Bryan Whelan © 2020. All rights reserved.

We are proud to announce our August Winner, Ocean Community Church! Ocean Community Church is lead by The Rev. Dr. Philip Bakelaar. Phillip is a graduate of Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions in Columbia, SC. He has served churches as a pastor since 1985, originally preparing for overseas mission service. Pastor Phil is sometimes known as “Pastor Gadget” or “Tech Pastor” because of his interest in and use of technology in teaching and preaching. Since 1992 he has been an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, teaching courses in Communication Studies. We asked Pastor Phillip how the pantry got its start and how they plan to utilize the van. Phillip stated: “Over 20 years ago a deacon at Ocean Community Church asked the church board

The story behind this Ford Transit Connect Van Once again, our friends over at Meals on Wheels of Ocean County sold us this van that was in their fleet! They told us that if we can find a Non-Profit that can use this van, they would let us buy it for a discount! Thanks again Meals on Wheels of Ocean County! for permission to start some kind of food pantry for needy families in the community. A closet under the stairway was offered, and with a bag of groceries and two people, the OCC Food Pantry was launched. 20 years later there are four freezers, four refrigerators, a volunteer team of 30 plus people gathering each Wednesday, serving an average of 90 families a week with meat, produce, dairy and bread products, along with a special table for pet food, and other tables with clothing, shoes and household items. The OCC Food Pantry participates in the FULFILL food bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and is supported through gifts and community grants, with special thanks to the Southern Ocean Hunger Foundation and their yearly fundraising dinner as well as the Post Office food drives and local Scout food drives. Our donated 1995 minivan has been struggling to keep up with our weekly pickup of food donations from Wawa, ShopRite and Acme. Sometimes we gather thousands of pounds to distribute. The donation of this 2010 Ford Connect Transit van will help us to continue those pickups for years to come, and enable us to look at new ways to provide service to our community. Ocean Community Church has served on the corner of

Breakers and Rt. 72 since 1982 as a gathering devoted to “being the very presence of Christ,” seeking to provide a generous orthodoxy in the Protestant mainline tradition. During Hurricane Sandy, the church hosted volunteer teams of workers for three years through World Renew. The church also has connections with Family Promise, Interfaith Health and Support Services, Compass82 Disaster Services and the Hearts of Mercy project. The pastor continues that community response by participation in the Ocean County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (OCARES) which provides ham radio services in crisis events. Since the COVID pandemic began in March, they have maintained daily online evening zoom prayer meetings and livestream services on Sundays at 9am and 11am through Facebook, YouTube and their website at oceanchurch.net. The church expresses appreciation to Causeway Ford’s Vehicle Donation Program for this vehicle, and invites the community to take advantage of the resources that the church has available. Many families are finding themselves in difficult times and by using our food pantry they are able to stretch dollars to pay rent, utility and medical bills. Come join us as we follow Christ in mission”.


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