Community Leaders to be Recognized at 17th Annual HELP Dinner
Paterson, NJ, October 11, 2014 --(PR.com)-- CUMAC’s annual HELP Dinner will be held at The Tides in North Haledon, NJ on Tuesday, November 18. The event, celebrating its seventeenth year, honors outstanding individuals and groups contributing to the fight against hunger in New Jersey. CUMAC anticipates having over 200 guests coming together next month to reflect on a year of altruism and teamwork.
For community service initiatives that range from fundraisers and collections to volunteer outings, Columbia Bank will be receiving this year’s President’s Award. Among their noteworthy accomplishments, Columbia Bank and its staff helped fund a walk-in refrigeration unit that has allowed CUMAC to expand the amount of fresh produce, dairy and meat that its Food Depot is able to distribute to the community. CUMAC was also the recipient of a recent Columbia Bank Charity Golf Outing, which raised over $40,000.
“As a true community bank, Team Columbia remains committed to helping local charities make a difference in people’s lives,” says Thomas J. Kemly, President and CEO of Columbia Bank. “Our corporate culture encourages volunteerism and support that encompasses many civic, community and charitable causes. We are proud to assist CUMAC with their charitable mission to feed the poor and homeless.”
Enid Sachs, of The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, and Pamela Teevan, of First Reformed Church of the Palisades, will also be honored at the event, receiving this year’s Banfield-Coxe Award, given for exceptional individual volunteer service.
“Our Banfield-Coxe Award recipients represent the strength of our community,” says Stephanie Ames, CUMAC Community Engagement Coordinator. “At the times we needed them the most, they were here to lend a helping hand. They have been crucial to our work and we’re just glad we can say thank you.”
The presentation of the second annual Don Brown Memorial Scholarship, an award given to a service-oriented student pursuing a career in community work, will also be a part of the night’s line up. This year’s scholarship winner is Brittany Warther of Fair Lawn, NJ. A graduate of Wayne Hills High School, now attending William Paterson University, Brittany has organized several volunteer events and collections to support CUMAC’s work.
Warther credits CUMAC as a place where she’s learned some valuable lessons: “It’s helped me realize that I need to help everyone who is less fortunate than me because there is always someone who could use a helping hand.” With the support of Delta Phi Epsilon and the William Paterson University community, Warther has raised over $1,000 and collected hundreds of donations to support those struggling with hunger in New Jersey.
Along with the awards ceremony, the HELP dinner will include a silent auction featuring items ranging from autographed sports memorabilia to kitchenware sets. Local businesses have the opportunity to back the event as well. Funds raised by the auction and sponsorships will support several of CUMAC’s local anti-hunger programs.
The HELP Dinner comes at time when CUMAC, Passaic county’s largest pantry, is seeing a great increase in need for services. Staff members estimate that CUMAC’s programs will serve over 35,000 people by the end of the year, the most in its thirty year history.
“The HELP Dinner is a wonderful celebration of the people and partnerships that make our work possible, but it also comes during our busiest month,” says Lynne Bruger, CUMAC Development Director. “We’ll feed close to 4,000 people in November, making the money raised from this evening absolutely vital.”
The HELP dinner will be held at The Tides on Tuesday, November 18 at 6:00pm. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased through the CUMAC website: www.cumacecho.org. A variety of sponsorships and program advertising options are still available. For more information, please contact Leigh Ross at 973-742-5518 or lross@cumacecho.org.
CUMAC is a 501c3 non-profit organization with multiple programs dedicated to alleviating hunger and poverty in Paterson, Passaic county and beyond. CUMAC’s programs include a food pantry that serves over 3,000 individuals every month, a food depot that handles nearly 2 million pounds of food for a network of over 50 feeding programs, a disaster relief program, a thrift shop that provides high quality, low cost items to the community, the Pathways to Work program that offers job training to those seeking gainful employment, and Place of Promise, a permanent supportive housing program for the chronically homeless.
For community service initiatives that range from fundraisers and collections to volunteer outings, Columbia Bank will be receiving this year’s President’s Award. Among their noteworthy accomplishments, Columbia Bank and its staff helped fund a walk-in refrigeration unit that has allowed CUMAC to expand the amount of fresh produce, dairy and meat that its Food Depot is able to distribute to the community. CUMAC was also the recipient of a recent Columbia Bank Charity Golf Outing, which raised over $40,000.
“As a true community bank, Team Columbia remains committed to helping local charities make a difference in people’s lives,” says Thomas J. Kemly, President and CEO of Columbia Bank. “Our corporate culture encourages volunteerism and support that encompasses many civic, community and charitable causes. We are proud to assist CUMAC with their charitable mission to feed the poor and homeless.”
Enid Sachs, of The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, and Pamela Teevan, of First Reformed Church of the Palisades, will also be honored at the event, receiving this year’s Banfield-Coxe Award, given for exceptional individual volunteer service.
“Our Banfield-Coxe Award recipients represent the strength of our community,” says Stephanie Ames, CUMAC Community Engagement Coordinator. “At the times we needed them the most, they were here to lend a helping hand. They have been crucial to our work and we’re just glad we can say thank you.”
The presentation of the second annual Don Brown Memorial Scholarship, an award given to a service-oriented student pursuing a career in community work, will also be a part of the night’s line up. This year’s scholarship winner is Brittany Warther of Fair Lawn, NJ. A graduate of Wayne Hills High School, now attending William Paterson University, Brittany has organized several volunteer events and collections to support CUMAC’s work.
Warther credits CUMAC as a place where she’s learned some valuable lessons: “It’s helped me realize that I need to help everyone who is less fortunate than me because there is always someone who could use a helping hand.” With the support of Delta Phi Epsilon and the William Paterson University community, Warther has raised over $1,000 and collected hundreds of donations to support those struggling with hunger in New Jersey.
Along with the awards ceremony, the HELP dinner will include a silent auction featuring items ranging from autographed sports memorabilia to kitchenware sets. Local businesses have the opportunity to back the event as well. Funds raised by the auction and sponsorships will support several of CUMAC’s local anti-hunger programs.
The HELP Dinner comes at time when CUMAC, Passaic county’s largest pantry, is seeing a great increase in need for services. Staff members estimate that CUMAC’s programs will serve over 35,000 people by the end of the year, the most in its thirty year history.
“The HELP Dinner is a wonderful celebration of the people and partnerships that make our work possible, but it also comes during our busiest month,” says Lynne Bruger, CUMAC Development Director. “We’ll feed close to 4,000 people in November, making the money raised from this evening absolutely vital.”
The HELP dinner will be held at The Tides on Tuesday, November 18 at 6:00pm. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased through the CUMAC website: www.cumacecho.org. A variety of sponsorships and program advertising options are still available. For more information, please contact Leigh Ross at 973-742-5518 or lross@cumacecho.org.
CUMAC is a 501c3 non-profit organization with multiple programs dedicated to alleviating hunger and poverty in Paterson, Passaic county and beyond. CUMAC’s programs include a food pantry that serves over 3,000 individuals every month, a food depot that handles nearly 2 million pounds of food for a network of over 50 feeding programs, a disaster relief program, a thrift shop that provides high quality, low cost items to the community, the Pathways to Work program that offers job training to those seeking gainful employment, and Place of Promise, a permanent supportive housing program for the chronically homeless.
Contact
CUMAC
Adrian Diaz
973-742-5518
www.cumacecho.org
Adrian Diaz
973-742-5518
www.cumacecho.org
Contact
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