"While delivering Thanksgiving dinner to a family in need right here in Monmouth County, I will never forget one of the mothers we helped. When we arrived and she saw that we were bringing a basket full of Thanksgiving items – turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, and dessert –she could hardly believe it. With the biggest smile on her face and tears in her eyes, she exclaimed, “My Thanksgiving turkey! I didn’t think I’d have one this year!”. That shot through the core of my being and is one of the reasons why I am addicted to doing this."
John Amabile
LGEF Founder
OUR GOALS
- Find one or more families per month who need help. Provide help that goes beyond what a normal food pantry or basic needs committee might commit to do. To give in abundance any basic or special need.
- Network with other charitable groups to identify and help fulfill the needs of families requiring assistance.
- Provide guidance to families in need on how to shop economically for essential daily needs such as food and clothing.
- Provide information to families in need to assist in job placement services, motivation, and life skills development, including budgeting and financial planning.
OUR NAME
As an ecumenical foundation, we strive to reach out to all denominations in hopes of finding the common ground of love in all faiths. Our belief is that if many people contribute a little bit of their time and / or money each month, we can truly make a difference in a person's life.
OUR SUCCESS STORIES
Successful events that have been hosted to honor families in need include some of the events below:
- LGEF hosted a Fourth of July celebration in honor of a little girl from Monmouth County, NJ who is suffering from a calcified tumor on her heart as well as Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Over $1,300 was raised to help this little girl’s family pay their mounting medical bills.
- In April 2010, LGEF donated all necessary supplies and spent two days painting a woman’s apartment in Ocean Grove, NJ.
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n September 2009, LGEF hosted its first multi-family yard sale, raising $1,900. A portion of the proceeds was used to buy food gift cards for two local families in need. We also were able to apply for our federal 501(c)(3) status, which we later received. - In June of 2009, LGEF hosted a “Tastefully Simple” gathering in honor of Middletown resident and single mother. This wonderful woman has a family history of heart problems and had recently lost her job due to her heart condition. LGEF raised $875 in grocery gift cards and restaurant gift certificates as well as a basket of Tastefully Simple food products for her and her family.
- A Fall Gathering filled with football and fun - each family brought bags of groceries to help a family meet their basic daily living needs.
- Pasta Dinner - a night filled with great food and music by Life Guard members while supporting a family in need of groceries. Each family supplied a grocery store gift card in various amounts.
- Soup Tasting Dinner - neighbors gathered to sample a variety of soups while helping a family meet an excessive medical bill after one of the family’s members underwent chemotherapy treatment.
- Spring Brunch – a sunny Saturday morning shared with family and friends over good food, fun and live music. Each family contributed various monetary donations to assist a family in meeting an overdue electric bill. As a result, the family’s electric service was not disconnected.
- Girl’s Night Out – a group of women gathered to sample a variety of foods while supporting a heart transplant candidate who was in need of groceries to support her children while ill and out of work.