Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Fair Lawn High School boys varsity bowling coach Tony Villano has devised a fun and creative way to support the Fair Lawn Food Pantry.
When Tony Villano started coaching the Fair Lawn High School boys varsity bowling team in 1999, he set out to repurpose a booze-infused bowling tradition for the greater good of the community. Fourteen years later, he estimates the high school team has delivered some 2,000 items to the Fair Lawn Food Pantry as a result. In beer-guzzling bowling circles, Villano explains, the captain of a team sometimes buys his fellow bowlers a round when every member of the team strikes in the same frame. If all but one bowler strikes, that bowler foots the bill for the next round of brew. "I determined a need to put a positive spin on this old tradition," Villano explained. "Therefore, we changed the 'beer frame' to a 'soup frame' and, instead of buying …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Fair Lawn Chamber of Commerce Tuesday presented its net proceeds from the Jan. 28 "Taste of Our Town" event to the Fair Lawn Food Pantry.
The Fair Lawn Chamber of Commerce Tuesday presented borough health and human services director Carol Wagner with a $2,500 check earmarked for the Fair Lawn food pantry. The donation comprised the net proceeds from the Chamber's annual "Taste of Our Town" event, where guests pay to sample an assortment of local cuisine. Sixteen restaurants participated and more than 200 tickets were sold for this year's Taste, which was held on Jan. 28 at the Fair Lawn Community Center, making it the largest turnout in the event's four-year history. As a result, this year's event raised more money than ever before for the food pantry. -- Follow Fair Lawn-Saddle Brook Patch on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to receive our daily newsletter in your inbox …
Friday, February 1, 2013
The entire Fair Lawn community will benefit from the donations of an anonymous Radburn resident inspired to give by a stranger who returned his lost wallet.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Zak Koeske
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Friday, February 1
The simple, but virtuous act of one kind stranger who returned a Fair Lawn man's lost wallet this week set in motion a course of events that will benefit the entire community. A Radburn resident wrote sizable checks to both the Fair Lawn food pantry and the Fair Lawn public library Wednesday after his lost wallet, which contained about $180, was returned intact. The good Samaritan who returned the wallet refused a monetary award. "I decided that the donations to the food pantry and the library were the way I'd honor the civic virtue of this gentleman," said the relieved Radburn resident (we'll call him JB), who wished to keep his name and the amount of his donations anonymous. JB had just paid for a few purchases at the Radburn CVS and was…
Monday, December 24, 2012
The Operation Santa Boone team was back at it this year, orchestrating a surprise Christmas visit for a dedicated food pantry client/volunteer.
When Liz Twiggs learned last year that one her Fair Lawn Food Pantry clients couldn't afford a Christmas tree, she sprung into action and -- with the help of Fair Lawn police detective and Van Riper Ellis Broadway Baptist Church pastor David Boone -- launched, "Operation Santa Boone." Twiggs, Boone and a couple kindly elves delivered a pre-lit tree and cartloads of other gifts for her client and client's family during a surprise night time run that was aided by members of the Fair Lawn Rescue Squad. This year, the Operation Santa Boone crew was back at it, providing a food pantry client/volunteer and her family with gifts for the holiday. Twiggs' plan this time around pulled in Boone, food pantry volunteer Beri Raffiani, three elves -- …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Santa and his elves will surprise a Fair Lawn family in need again this year.
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
- Zak Koeske
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Monday, December 17, 2012
When Liz Twiggs learned last year that one her Fair Lawn Food Pantry clients couldn't afford a Christmas tree, she sprung into action and -- with the help of Fair Lawn police detective and Van Riper Ellis Broadway Baptist Church pastor David Boone -- launched, "Operation Santa Boone." Twiggs, Boone and a couple kindly elves delivered a pre-lit tree, a wreath, two shopping cartloads of food, some small gifts and an additional top secret Christmas gift for her client and client's family during a surprise night time run that was aided by members of the Fair Lawn Rescue Squad. Patch has uncovered a top secret, heavily redacted memo that indicates Santa and his Elves are planning an "Operation Santa Boone" sequel. The whos, wheres and whens of …
Monday, November 19, 2012
Fair Lawn's Thanksgiving Food Drive and Holiday Sharing Program are accepting donations.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, November 19, 2012
With the holiday season nearly upon us, Fair Lawn has begun accepting donations for local families in need. The Human Services Department is collecting non-perishable food, gift certificates to local supermarkets, paper goods and monetary donations for needy residents as part of its Holiday Food Drive, which provides a complete Thanksgiving meal to needy residents. Monetary donations can be made out to “Fair Lawn Human Services Trust Fund." Donations of food or other goods can be brought to the Health and Human Services Department, located at the Fair Lawn Municipal Building, Room 112. Please check for expiration dates, as expired items will be discarded. The borough cannot accept frozen turkeys, because it lacks the space to store them, …
Monday, August 20, 2012
The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn came through for the food pantry last week during its busiest year to date.
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
- Zak Koeske
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Monday, August 20, 2012
The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn donated an abundance of food and personal hygiene items to the Fair Lawn Food pantry last week, amid what has been the pantry's busiest year on record. Rotary members, who reached out to the food pantry staff in advance to determine what items were most in demand, dropped off an assortment of canned fruits, meats, vegetables, cereals, soups, pasta meals and hygiene products by the cartload last Wednesday. The food pantry, which uses private donations to assist needy borough residents by providing food, grocery store gifts and assistance paying past due utility bills, had already distributed 514 bags of food to 66 families in need as of July 31, director Liz Twiggs said. Last year, the pantry distributed 821 …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Wayne Robbins of "Inside Fair Lawn," speaks with food pantry coordinator Liz Twiggs about the pantry's needs this time of year
It's hard to believe, but it's already getting to be time to start doing your Back to School shopping. Wayne Robbins of "Inside Fair Lawn," visited the Fair Lawn Food Pantry this week to chat with pantry coordinator Liz Twiggs, and a few food pantry volunteers. Besides the everyday items that the food pantry can always use, Liz and her team are also in need of school supplies for this coming school year. Backpacks, multi-subject notebooks, folders, erasable pens and items for middle and high school students are most in demand. New or used graphing calculators are also needed for Fair Lawn's older students. Donations can be dropped off at the municipal building's Health and Human Services Department, located in Room 112. For more …
Friday, June 22, 2012
Both the Cosmos Club and the Cosmos Club Ladies Auxiliary made donations to local organizations this week.
Last year's austere municipal budget was not kind to the Opportunity Center. The non-profit day program for adults with disabilities, located along Fair Lawn Avenue near the Route 208 onramp, took a $500 cut in the amount of funding it previously had received from the borough. So when members of the Cosmos Club's Ladies Auxiliary were in search of a local charity to support with money they had raised in March from their annual fundraiser, Deputy Mayor John Cosgrove recommended they consider reaching out to the Opportunity Center. On Friday, members of the Ladies Auxiliary presented a donation of $600 to the Opportunity Center's treasurer and executive director, putting the non-profit ahead of where it would have been before the budget cut…
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Certain supplies are dwindling and the Fair Lawn food pantry asks residents to please consider donating items to support their neighbors in need.
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
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Thursday, June 21, 2012
The Fair Lawn food pantry is low on supplies and in need of donations to continue providing a vital resource for residents in need. During the summer, child-friendly items like snacks and juice are in highest demand. In addition to those items, the pantry is also critically low on canned fruit, Chef Boyardee-type products, tuna, canned fish and canned meats, peanut butter, jelly, drink mixes, baked beans, and pork and beans. The pantry is also collecting brown paper grocery bags. Please check expiration dates before donating, as expired items will be tossed. And although it may be counterintuitive, smaller boxes and jars go much further than one large item. Gift cards and monetary donations are also greatly appreciated and can be dropped …
Stuart Pace
1:09 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
great work Tony and the team!!! That's what's right with this town. more ›