TOMS RIVER – The founder of a local non-profit that feeds the hungry smiled a bit as she described what led her to a change in careers later in life.
Toni Connizzo Cieplensky, the CFC of Plentiful Plates of Ocean County, once ran medical offices. Her most recent gig in the field was in a plastic surgeon’s office. Many of the patients appeared to have unlimited resources for tummy tucks and all types of lifts to make themselves more glamorous.
However, Cieplensky developed a love for the food industry that began long before she ever started classes as a medical assistant and moved to a management role. Cieplensky left a job as a restaurant server to change fields when she needed an extra salary that would help with her children’s college tuition.
As Cieplensky thought back to her childhood days, she easily recalled the aroma and taste of home-cooked meals while she was surrounded by family members at weekly dinners. Grandma Assunta would often find room at the table for the occasional stray who would otherwise dine alone.
Anyone growing up in an Italian home knows that pasta goes a long way when it comes to divvying up plates. Cieplensky admitted she didn’t know if her grandmother invited family outsiders to join them because they needed to see a friendly face – or because they were just out and out hungry.
The bottom line is that ten-year-old Cieplensky recognized the value of acts of kindness. She now views it as a legacy she plans to pass on until the end of her life. And Cieplensky still marvels at people who have disposable income for what she views as superficial attempts to make their outsides take on different appearances.
“The fact that people are spending thousands of dollars to look beautiful, while others are starving,” Cieplensky shared. “It just doesn’t work in my mind.”
In Cieplensky’s opinion, nothing could be worse than the rumblings of stomachs from those suffering from food insecurity. It’s what led the now 68-year-old senior to sign up for culinary school.
After her daughters finished college, Cieplensky began work as a server in a Toms River restaurant franchise. She made some friends and also decided to volunteer at JBJ Soul Kitchen, a non-profit Community Restaurant run by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. There, Cieplensky met people who shared a common attitude towards life.
“I just did food prep in the back,” Cieplensky said. “When one of the chefs suggested I go to culinary school, I initially panicked. I hadn’t taken a test in 30 years and didn’t think I could make it through the program.”
Obviously, the former medical assistant was mistaken. She earned her credentials as a chef and also took on volunteer work at Fulfill, the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean counties. Cieplensky already knew she had no interest in working in a restaurant. Instead, her aspirations targeted something entirely different.
The kindness of her new friends reminded Cieplensky of how she grew up as a child in the Bronx. So, when a colleague named Josh invited Cieplensky to join him in a goodwill project in Lakewood, Cieplensky was all in. Although she hadn’t shared her goals, Cieplensky planned to use her chef training to feed the homeless.
“Josh and I began feeding displaced folks all over Lakewood in 2017/2018,” shared Cieplensky. “This included the people from Tent City. In December 2017, we took it a step further and donated scarves, hats, gloves, and coats to the Big Brothers & Sisters of Ocean County for their Annual Holiday Party.”
At the onset, Cieplensky and her small crew prepared meals from their homes. Most of the money for the project came from personal funds. She remembered her prior experience in her children’s PTO and engaged in traditional fundraising efforts like bake sales to raise extra cash to find more money to feed the hungry.
The organization formally came together as Plentiful Plates. They determined they’d outgrown the cooking from their own homes. During the pandemic, the non-profit became a major area provider of meals, including feeding those who never ever dreamed they would experience food insecurity. From January 2020 to recent months, Plentiful Plates doled out over 18,000 dishes.
Meanwhile, the containers of food all display a variety of culinary deliciousness. Plentiful Plates ladens its meals with a protein, starch and vegetable. The end products easily resemble take-out dinners from local gourmet eateries. And, as the group expands further, partnerships with other organizations continue to grow.
On Thursdays, those in need can pick up free meals and groceries from Potter’s Pantry in Bayville. Plentiful Plate’s expansion in the community includes food distribution and relationships with Point in Time, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Toms River Housing and Homeless Coalition and Helping Hands Pantry of Ocean County College.
All things considered, Plentiful Plates experienced its own frustration with a sense of homelessness. Cieplensky credits someone else who changed careers later in life as coming to the organization’s rescue.
“We needed a real kitchen to work together that would be up to code,” explained Cieplensky. “Pastor Sue Jones of Holy Cross Lutheran Church provided us with the space we needed.”
In another life, Jones worked as engineer for a major pharmaceutical company. She joked that God had a sense of humor in directing her to join the seminary. Jones said her childhood contributed to her desire to choose a different path.
“I lost both my parents to alcoholism and had that whole dysfunctional home roller coaster ride,” Jones said. “I almost lost a younger brother to it, but he figured it out and he’s been clean and sober for fifteen years.”
“I know the realities of some people’s lives,” continued Jones. “And I know that you can’t fix people, but you can offer people opportunities and you can meet their immediate needs. As Christians, that’s what we’re called to do.”
Jones said that she was opposed to reinventing the wheel and immediately recognized that the people from Plentiful Pates already knew how to do the things her congregation wanted to do. The partnership just made sense.
“I’m a problem solver by nature,” summed up Jones. “Partnering with these folks has just been a blessing.”
While feeding the hungry deals with one part of what Jones knows is an issue, she admitted she had ulterior motives as well. As a strong voice in the Toms River Housing Resource Center on Route 37, Jones wants homelessness addressed beyond the opportunities Code Blue offers when temperatures become frigid.
The Holy Cross Church pastor said that while she’s not looking to become just a feeding ministry, she’s happy she can meet the basic needs of people who are hungry. Chefs from Plentiful Plates work out of the church to make meals on Wednesdays. The Center opens on Mondays and Thursdays for those who stop in looking for food. Church members volunteer their time as well.
Meanwhile, Cieplensky’s not the only one donating her time to come up with plentiful plates. Among the others, is a chef who knows firsthand what it means to be homeless. Bonnie Hipple-Williams went to culinary school and also whips up delicious meals to feed the less fortunate.
A former colleague of Cieplensky in the restaurant industry decided to offer her talents in another way. Cassie Simon set up the organization’s website and keeps it up to date. She also pitches in as far as labeling containers in the distribution process.
“I honestly think we couldn’t do this all without what I think of as our “Fabulous Five,” said Cieplensky. “Keith McCassrey volunteers as an executive chef, using skills he learned while serving in the United States Army. Michelle Lucas is another helper who made sure to get her food handler’s license to take on any task she can.”
As it turns out, Plentiful Plates continues to attract attention. The organization provided meals to families placed in Seaside hotels last year. The manager from one contacted the non-profit once again for help.
Cieplensky and her army of volunteers have already started the bombardment of food and other resources to the residents in need. While Cieplensky credits donations for the ability to step in, Plentiful Plates continues to coordinate the necessary assistance.
“We consider ourselves part of a ministry,” Cieplensky said. “It’s all about helping others.”
For more information about Plentiful Plates, visit plentifulplates.org.
