TOMS RIVER – It’s not Black Friday yet, but people were doing their Christmas shopping at the ShopRite on Fischer Boulevard. They were buying a little extra food and giving it to people in need.
This is the location of WJRZ’s annual “Share The Joy” collection drive. They set up a stage and broadcast from the parking lot, while filling a Pepsi truck with donations.
Every year, they collect:
- Non-perishable food items and frozen turkeys for Fulfill Monmouth and Ocean’s Toms River Pantry
- Dog and cat food, pet accessories and toys for the Jersey Shore Animal Center
- Gift cards, Lego sets, board games, and arts and crafts for ages 6-18 for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Coastal New Jersey
- Monetary donations to benefit all three organizations.
Two big donors early on the first day were Viking Pest Control and Hooper Avenue Elementary, said Marketing Director Jaclyn Farago. They got the ball rolling.
When The Toms River Times stopped by on Friday, it was still early in the drive which would run all day Friday and Saturday. A lot of people were still at work, which is why there were fewer personal donations at that time.
You never can predict the weather at this time of year. Sometimes it’s blisteringly cold and the tent around the stand is lifesaving. Sometimes, it’s raining and not as many people come out.
This weekend was overcast and gray but not too cold, at least during the day. The radio station staff was very thankful for that.
It also allowed them to have a special guest. Ronny is a four-month-old puppy from Jersey Shore Animal Center in Brick. He and his brother, Jolly, are the only ones who haven’t been adopted from a litter of seven.
It’s hard to see why. He snuggled with everyone and showed a great amount of affection. He practically napped on the lap of JSAC Executive Director Laurie Fasinski. It was possible that someone dropping off a donation might fall in love with him and have to fill out adoption papers.
Fasinski said the radio station provides an enormous help.
“We can’t thank them enough,” she said. Providing a platform for the community to donate makes a huge difference. “We rely strictly on donations. Every cent, every towel, every newspaper is so, so critical.”
She thanked everyone who stopped by with donations.
Matt Knight took a break from speaking into the microphone to speak to a reporter.
“I came in expecting this to be a rough year,” he said. “So far, it’s better than I expected.”
With inflation squeezing people pretty tightly, donations are harder to come by – and when the economy is this bad, that’s when donations are needed the most.
“This is the highest demand we’ve seen for food since Sandy,” he said. Donations go to the food pantries and immediately go back out.
If they can get the truck half or three-quarters full, he’ll see that as a success.
ShopRite itself donates food to the cause as well as the “prime real estate” of parking lot space right before Thanksgiving week, he noted.
The donation drive will go on until 7 p.m. tonight and from 9 a.m. until 6 pm. on Saturday at the Saker ShopRite at 860 Fischer Boulevard in Toms River. Meanwhile, WRAT will be at the ShopRite in Shrewsbury on Monday and Tuesday.
