MANCHESTER – Various clubs of the Township School District showed a full serving of their generosity just prior to the shutdown of district’s schools and it was clearly more than a spoonful.
Members of the district’s Interact, Impact and Junior Impact clubs completed their annual cereal drive recently but unfortunately, this cereal remained locked down before it could be delivered to “Fulfill” (formerly The People’s Pantry) a food pantry which serves the people of Ocean County.
Joe Gawlik, one of the teacher advisors for the drive, said “Under the guiding hand of club sponsor, the Lakehurst/Manchester Rotary Club, students, teachers and support staff from all six of our schools collected cereal for a month.”
Gawlik added, “with satellite collection sites at Crossroads Realty and the Oliverie Funeral home, that added up to a lot of cereal for those in need.
“With there being no end to the shutdown, I went straight to the top for help,” Gawlik said. He called Supervisor of Building and Grounds Chris Brown.
Brown responded to Gawlik saying “I am sure we can arrange something; it is definitely needed now more than ever.”
Gawlik knew “our district support staff superheroes would solve my problem. The logistics were set and a plan put in motion. With the entire staff at home, Chris located the cereal from locations in the high school and packed every cubic inch of a van.”
After completing his cereal hunt, he handed off the van to his right-hand man, George DePremio, who, along with his wife Karen, met Nancy Wehrle and Gawlik at the pantry. It was at that point that their huge donation was unloaded.
“The great news is that just over 1,300 pounds of cereal was collected and donated with the help of our fellow man,” Gawlik.
“As teachers we constantly lean on our support staff for all kinds of help. From secretaries, electricians, custodians, IT folks, and bus drivers we are always greeted with a smile and a helping hand. These folks are indeed the superheroes of the district. Thank you and be safe,” Gawlik said.
