Autumn is here and so are the fun fall activities
Autumn has arrived which means local residents should prepare for a bonanza of Good News Friday entries, ones that connect to outdoor fun and fantastic food.
The Zonta Club of Trenton/Mercer chapter hosts a Gourmet Garden fundraiser on Thursday, October 6, at Cedar Gardens from 6-9 p.m. The spectacular food and wine event includes fare from a variety of Mercer County restaurants and establishments.
The Zonta local organization that plays an important role internationally and locally hosts a fantastic fall event that continues a mission that supports women. The organization is focused on service to improve the status of women and girls.
A website noted that Zonta members “volunteer time, talents and provide resources to local and international service projects, as well as to scholarship and award programs aimed at furthering women’s eduction, leadership and youth development.
The Zonta Club of Trenton/Mercer chapter was established in 1931 and is affiliated with Zonta International. The mission of the Zonta Club, a 501(c) 3 service organization, is to improve the legal, political, economic, health and professional status of women at the local and global level and to work towards the elimination of violence against women and children through advocacy and service.
Since the inception of the Gourmet Garden in 2003 more than $275,000 has been given to nonprofit organizations inline with Zonta’s mission through the Gourmet Garden proceeds,fund raising activities and endowments.
Zonta selected The NJ Coalition to End Domestic Violence as the 2016 recipient of the Gourment Garden Grant. The $5,000 award will support outreach efforts for 12 survivors of abuse.
Tickets for the Gourmet Garden may be purchased online at www.zontagourmetgar-den.com or by calling (609) 851-0384. Tickets are $60 per person and may be purchased at the door. -----------On Friday, October 14th, Mercer Street Friends will hold its annual fundraising event, A Taste-Full Evening.
Proceeds from the event will support Mercer Street Friends and its programs that help children and adults living in poverty.
Approximately 250 guests at the event will enjoy food tastings prepared by area caterers and restaurant chefs, wine and beer, lively music, and a silent auction. Among the restaurants and caterers participating in this years’ event are Agricola, JM Group (Blue Point Grill, Witherspoon Grill), Marsilio’s, McCaffrey’s, Pennington Market, ShopRite, Wegman’s and Verdi Catering.
Sponsors of the event include the Van Aken Family Foundation, Wakefern/ ShopRite, NRG, Johnson Kendall Johnson, NJM Insurance Group, and Garden State Trust.
For almost 60 years Mercer Street Friends has provided Trenton residents with services designed to bridge the opportunity gaps that exist in areas of highly concentrated poverty.
Mercer Street Friends’ programs include parenting and adult education; Rivera Community Middle School; a year-round preschool; youth services and counseling; adult job training; and Mercer County’s only food bank, which channels over 2.5 million pounds of food to area meal sites, food pantries, senior centers, and schools each year.
Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased on the Mercer Street Friends’ website: www.mercerstreetfriends.org by clicking the DONATE TODAY and selecting Taste-Full Tickets. -----------Sandy Kimbrough announced her Breast Cancer Survivors Yoga program.
“This year our offering is expanding! We will still host the African American Breast Cancer Survivors Yoga at Ewing’s VFW. This year it will last beyond October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and run throughout the fall and spring,” Kimbrough emailed.
“Also new this year is our second program offering downtown Trenton at Trenton Quaker Meeting church. This outreach is free for any breast cancer survivor who is financially challenged, especially those serviced by soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless and domestic violence shelters, etc.”
The Breast Cancer Awareness Month kickoff program is on Saturday, October 1st from 9-11 a.m. at Galilee Baptist Church, followed by our first yoga class from 12-1pm at the nearby Quaker Friends Meeting church on Hanover Street. Call Sandy at (609) 638 1662. -----------Catholic Charities USA announced that the 2016 recipient of the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Award is Ronald Gering, Children and Families Director at Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton.
The award is given to an individual who has demonstrated a dedication to serving children and families and has a distinguished record of leadership in the social work field. A 40-year veteran of providing social services to children and families at Catholic Charities, Gering will receive this award at the Catholic Charities USA Annual Gathering on October 12 in Boston.
Gering joined Catholic Charities in 1975 as Clinical Director for the Family Growth Program and currently serves as the Director of Children and Family Services. In this role, he manages approximately 20 programs meeting the critical needs of the most vulnerable children and families in central New Jersey with an annual budget of $10M.
Throughout his tenure, Gering has provided clinical and administrative leadership, overseeing the creation of innovative programs that have positively impacted thousands of lives.
“Ron’s compassion and thoughtfulness have inspired scores of employees over the years, creating an atmosphere where going above and beyond is the norm,” noted Marlene LaoCollins, Executive Director, Catholic Charities Trenton.
“The team approach he fostered has enabled us to provide the highest level of care to children and families who are among the most atrisk in our community.”
Autumn has arrived which means local residents should prepare for a bonanza of Good News Friday entries, ones that connect to outdoor fun and fantastic food.