MANCHESTER – It was more than a nice autumn day that brought volunteers, trustees and a variety of special guests to the offices of Somebody CARES in the Whiting section of the township.
The occasion was a party of sorts introducing new leadership, familiar volunteers and renewed determination to help the residents of the township, particularly those who reside in Whiting. The recent kick off featured food, decorative gourds, desserts donated by Wawa and an atmosphere of excitement concerning one of the community’s most important non-profit agencies.
It also served to christen the agency’s new leader who is already a familiar face in Whiting for her prior work in providing food and recreation programs to seniors at The Barn.
Patricia Donahue had opened The Barn in 2023 after more than year’s delay. It was located at 1330 Route 70 in Whiting. The Barn was associated with Inspire-NJ and was a social enterprise defined as a business with specific social objectives that serve its primary purpose.
Social enterprises seek to maximize profits while maximizing benefits to society and the environment, and the profits are principally used to fund social programs.
While Donahue and her workers and volunteers were able to overcome obstacles like meeting municipal codes and state environmental requirements, other issues that are still pending to the building’s lease caused its closure earlier this year.
Not one to sit idle for long and having a strong desire to help members of the community, Donahue learned of a vacancy that would utilize her skills and that was to become the new leader of Somebody CARES, Inc., which is located at 48 Schoolhouse Road in Whiting.
Donahue was happy with the turnout and glad to see everyone. She told The Manchester Times, “We will be expanding programs and bringing more of the non-profit community into a central location. I’m still looking at some of the programs that we are offering now and seeing if they are sustainable. We are working on it.”
One of those programs involve transporting seniors to doctor appointments. “That requires a lot of volunteers and a lot of funding. It is a very expensive program. We are exploring all options. What is needed out here is food, transportation and socialization. We are focusing on those three areas and we’ll go from there,” she added. “We have a lot of volunteers who have come back.”
Since its inception in 1975, Somebody Cares New Jersey has among its services, been “loaning” medical equipment to senior residents in Whiting. Seniors and especially those recovering from medical procedures are often isolated and unable to sustain a healthy quality of life. Some seniors need expensive medical equipment that health insurance may not fully cover, or that they may only use for a short period of time.
At the celebration, a table of trustees were enjoying the lunch provided that day. One of them was Basma Melegy of Crestwood Village III who started there a year ago.
“I am retired now but all my career I’ve worked in non-profit organizations that deal with elderly and sick people. I wanted to help my community through this organization,” Melegy said.
“Being a volunteer is a lot of work,” Melegy said, noting that it was very rewarding.
Barbara Noll said, “I’ve been a trustee for quite a long time. I can’t remember how long – probably12 years or so. It has been rewarding to help make important decisions concerning the organization and evaluate what the needs are of the people here.”
The event brought together Councilman Joseph Hankins, mayoral staff members Judy Noonan the liaison with the township’s Senior Services Department, confidential aide Frank Nicolato and Ocean County Director of Senior Services Maria LaFace.
LaFace said, “there are thousands of seniors in need and we are looking forward to partnering with Pat in her new capacity to meet the needs of the residents here in Whiting. Priorities are food, transportation and socialization.”
She noted that the county’s home delivery meals program “is up to 1,400 home delivered meals a day. We have 200,000 seniors and the need seems to be growing. Our programs are working but we need more funding. We give them a meal at home and some socialization.”
Councilman Hankins noted, “it is always good when a non-profit comes in and helps the senior services and that also works with the county. It’s a win-win to provide food and socialization for the seniors that they need.”
Also enjoying herself was Edith Kiwcewiaz a Crestwood III Village who will turn 102 on December 15. She joined organization Executive Assistant Nancy Lipah in conversation. Kiwcewiaz told The Manchester Times her secret to longevity was “a lot of entertainment, drink and be merry.”
Inspire-NJ and Somebody Cares is sponsoring a Thanksgiving Dinner for those in need. Provide a name, address and phone number. Meals will be delivered on Nov. 27 after 1 p.m. call Somebody Cares at 732-350-1400. Contact Noonan at 732-995-6923 if you have questions. There are only 650 meals available.
For general information about Somebody Cares, call or e-mail somebodycaresnj@gmail.com The organization also has a Facebook Page, Somebody Cares.
