By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – It might not be too late to give away that stash of Halloween candy the kids collected – or the leftover bags that weren’t handed out – before you end up eating it all.
The YMCA of Greater Monmouth County (YMCA) is collecting Halloween candy to benefit the nonprofit Holiday Express, an organization that provides entertainment, food, gifts and financial support to those in need during the festive holiday season.
Teicia Gaupp, vice president of marketing and communications for the YMCA, said the Y’s swim team has been hosting the annual candy collection for the past 10 years.
“It engages the children. The swim team children and our members and families that come in, they see the collection box, and they bring in their leftover candy,” Gaupp said. “It reminds them that there’s someone else who needs this. And it brings a little bit of joy to the participants of Holiday Express.”
Collection boxes are set up in the lobbies of the YMCA’s Red Bank, Old Bridge and Freehold branches and the Camp Zander location in Wall Township. The drive runs through Friday, Nov. 15.
In addition to the candy collection, the YMCA’s Togetherhood initiative hosts monthly community service projects. Togetherhood is the Y’s signature program that seeks to promote social responsibility. This program provides opportunities to give back and support the community through volunteer projects that address the most urgent needs, including blood donations, food drives, baby pantries, emergency childcare, wellness check-ins for seniors, COVID-19 testing, and more.
For November, the program’s focus is on Thanksgiving food drives at the Red Bank and Freehold branches. The Red Bank Y is collecting nonperishable food items for Thanksgiving Meal kits that will be distributed by the nonprofit Lunch Break. Located in Red Bank, Lunch Break provides free food, clothing, life skills and fellowship to Monmouth County residents and beyond.
“There will be collection bins in the YMCA lobbies to collect nonperishable food items all through November, up to the week before Thanksgiving,” Gaupp said, stressing the importance of giving back, especially during the holiday season when many face challenges.
“It’s a matter of looking at what the community needs and having our members and the children and families that come into our Y give back.”
The article originally appeared in the November 14 – November 20, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
