LITTLE SILVER – The Little Silver Business and Professional Association (LSBPA) has announced its third annual community service project benefitting Lunch Break in Red Bank.
The Have a Heart Food Drive, named for the campaign’s proximity to Valentine’s Day, begins Feb. 1 and will continue throughout the month with drop-off locations at businesses all over the Little Silver downtown community.
Last year’s community effort resulted in more than 350 pounds of food being donated to Lunch Break. This year, LSBPA Co-President Lori Saybolt said the business partnership has a goal of collecting 500 pounds of food.
“In initially organizing the Have a Heart Food Drive, we set out to give back to those in need during exceedingly difficult times,” Saybolt said. “What happened as a result of our humanitarian effort was an ensuing strength and bond among the business community of Little Silver that prompted us to organize more community service projects throughout the year.”
Now with the need being greater than ever from Super Storm Sandy, the organization’s members are hopeful that everyone who can give will donate.
The group is seeking nonperishable donations such as canned fruits and vegetables, canned tuna, rice, beans, soups and other staples to fill the pantry shelves of Lunch Break, a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization that provides hot meals and other critical assistance such as clothing and services, to those in need.
Businesses in Little Silver serving as designated drop-off locations include:
The Woman’s Exchange, 32 Church St.
Valley National Bank, 140 Markham Place
McCue Captains Agency, 680 Branch Ave.
Family Pharmacy, 10 Church St.
New Jersey Laser Dentistry, 200 White Road, Suite 203
Ye Olde Pie Shoppe, 74 Oceanport Ave.
Central Jersey Bank, 700 Branch Ave.
Pet’s General, 32 Prospect Plaza
Wells Fargo Bank, 480 Prospect Ave.
Skin and Bones Day Spa, 31 Church St.
Jill Ryan Interiors, 160 White Road, Suite 103
Other drop off locations in the area include:
Gloria Nilson Realtors Real Living, 600 Broad St., Shrewsbury
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, 230 Half Mile Road, Red Bank
Edward Jones, 841 W. Park Ave., Ocean
Shoppers can look for the Have a Heart poster on participating business windows and will usually find a bin for donations.
Lunch Break served more than 4,500 free hot meals each month in 2012, a 68 percent increase since 2008. The number includes meals delivered to homebound seniors. The pantry also provides groceries to those who need help and more than 500 children receive Christmas gifts. Social, medical and legal services are available onsite and clothing in good repair is handed out once each month.
“As a business community we see such special projects as our way of ‘paying it forward,’ ” Saybolt said. “Even in turned-down economies we recognize the opportunities that we have been given and the necessity to share our time and talents with others.”
Actively seeking new members, the LSBPA hopes to promote the advantages of shopping in a smaller borough as opposed to larger retail facilities and more congested “downtown” surroundings. By synchronizing event calendars with the town, offering a website and networking among members, the LSBPA is living by its mission to, “unite our fellow businesses in Little Silver and augment our investment in the community through business growth and volunteerism.”
For more information on the Have a Heart Food Drive or to find out more about the LSBPA, contact Saybolt at Lori5775@comcast.net or visit online at www.LittleSilverBusiness.com.
