Dear Friends,

Over the years, Lunch Break has assisted many people, and those who have helped make that possible are never forgotten. Your generosity

makes you a special friend of Lunch Break.

As our special friend, we wanted to share with you some very exciting news. So that we may better serve our clients and meet the ever growing needs of the community, we recently launched our $5 Million Dollar “Step Up to the Plate” Capital Campaign to expand our facilities. This campaign is about more than just building a new facility, it is about feeding even more hungry people. After thirty years in our current building, it’s time for a new home - a home

that will allow us to continue to serve, with dignity and compassion, the thousands of people depending on us every month. The size, shape, and design of our new facility directly relates to the number of people we need to serve food, hope, and support services.

In order to continue making a difference in the lives of individuals affected by the work of Lunch Break, it is vital that our Capital Campaign be a success. It is with this in mind that we are asking all our friends and supporters to “Step Up to the Plate”. Can we count on you to make a donation to this important cause? Please be assured that your contribution will be put to good use to provide help to individuals in need of assistance right here in our community. To pledge your support, please fill out and return the enclosed envelope.

Another wonderful way to show your support is through the Lunch Break Giving Tree. Located in the main dining room, the Giving Tree will be a large wall sculpture featuring leaves and fruit bearing the names of special supporters like you. Your donation to the tree is a wonderful way to recognize your company, school, or group, honor a friend or family member, celebrate your children, grandchildren, spouse, parent, pets or departed loved one.

Thank you for your continued support, and know that we couldn’t do...what we do...without special friends like you!

Mark BrahneyPresident - Board of Trustees

WE COULDN’T DO...WHAT WE DO...WITHOUT YOU!

Step Up to the Plate

For the Capital Campaign for Lunch Break

~ Special Edition ~

Newsletter - Spring - 2014 www.lunchbreak.org 732-747-8577

Invest in your

community

Dear Mrs. Love:

We at Interfaith Neighbors commend you and your staff on the wonderful work you do each and every day to help those less fortunate among us. We marvel at the breadth and scope of your service offerings, admire the dignity you afford each of your clients, and applaud vigorously your spirit of giving. We especially appreciate what your agency does for our NJ Youth Corps participants.

We wish you success on your fundraising campaign and a smooth construction experience. We look forward to joining you for the ribbon cutting ceremony in the not-to-distant future!

On Behalf of the Board

Letter from the Capital Campaign ChairBonnie Featherstone-Johnson

At my first meeting in October 2011 as Chairwoman of the

“Step Up to the Plate” $5 million dollar Capital Campaign, I told the committee we were standing at the threshold of a transformational time in Lunch Break’s history. It is easy to celebrate how far we have come in just under three years. But, our work is far from done! Lunch Break has come a long way since 1983 when it started up in the basement of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Red Bank. If it were not for the commitment of the entire Lunch Break family then, Lunch Break would not be where it is today. Over the years, we have grown from a small community organization into a nationally recognized, award winning non-profit that we can all (volunteers, donors, staff and

guests) be proud to be a part of. I know I am. Now Lunch Break needs a new home, and it’s getting one that would surely make the original founders proud. To date Lunch Break has raised over $2 million in cash, property and pledges towards the campaign which includes a lead gift of $500,000. Nearly 10 percent of the cost for Phase 1 and Phase 2 has been funded directly through individual contributions by the Lunch Break Board of Trustees.

In the coming months, I look forward to sharing more updates about the campaign with you and how you can help make a vision become a reality.

Bonnie Featherstone-JohnsonChairwoman - The Capital Campaign CommitteeMember - Board of Trustees

“I want you to know this. You are having a very real and huge impact on the lives of real people. You are

changing their lives. You are transforming them by what you are doing.” Rev. Jason Tucker, Tower Hill Presbyterian

Church, Red Bank, 2014 Ground breakingMission Driven • Here to Serve • Three Decades

LUNCH BREAKing NEWS...Breaking Ground

Thirty-one years ago, a group of concerned residents and clergy members emptied their pockets, collecting $500 to provide a hot lunch to the needy in Red Bank. On Friday, March 14, 2014, which also marked Lunch Break’s official 31st anniversary, some of those same people picked up shovels to help break ground. Speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony included Mayor Pasquale Menna, Justin and Victoria Gmelich, and Rev. Terrence Rosheuvel who all honored the legacy of the organization and the thousands of volunteers and supporters who have helped it thrive throughout the past three decades.

I would like to welcome you this evening to what should prove to be a long lasting tradition of sharing in the success of our valued community resource -- Lunch Break.

We’ve gathered tonight not only to celebrate Lunch Break’s 31 years of impacting the stability and wellness of our community

members, but to ensure that it survives -- and more importantly -- thrives for the next 30 and beyond.

It is an honor for me to represent The Two River Times as we partner with Lunch Break in raising awareness of all the clients and families it has helped and continues to assist through its programs.

In my years of covering Monmouth County as a reporter and editor, I have watched Lunch Break grow, through skilled leadership and by the generosity of community members, to assist more clients who are faced with economic hardships as they try to afford day-to-day necessities. And the organization has done so with kindness, compassion and discretion.

We are so fortunate to have Lunch Break in our lives. But I know you know that, which is why you are here.

On behalf of my colleagues, Donna Rovere, COO, and Michele Kuhn, Two River Times Editor, I thank you for Stepping Up to the Plate. Your willingness in helping us ensure the future of Lunch Break and its spirit of giving, as well as your concern for our families and friends, is greatly appreciated.

Ellen McCarthyPublisher Two River Times Honorary Co Chair of the “Step up to the Plate” Campaign

Ellen McCarthy, Publisher, Donna Rovere, COO, & Michele Kuhn, Editor of

&

John & Robin KleinThe Sickles Family

& Danny Murphy

Co-Chairsof the

“ Step Up to the Plate”The Capital Campaign for Lunch Break

Request the pleasure of your company at the

Campaign Kick-OffWine & Cheese Celebration

on

Tuesday - March 11, 20145 p.m. - 9 p.m.

121 Dr. James Parker Blvd.Red Bank, NJ 07701

Dress: Business CasualValet parking will be provided.

RSVP Kate McMahonkmcmahon@lunchbreak.org

732-747-8577 ext 3103

TM

Top: Current & Former Board Members & DonorsBottom: Staff & Volunteers

Co-chairs, Michele Kuhn & Danny Murphy Paul Hooker, Lead Donor

Kate McMahon, Director of Development; Amanda Mulheren, Volunteer; and Garofalo families at the Lunch Break Kickoff

Justin and Victoria Gmelich, property donors, with Gwendolyn O. Love, Executive Director

TM

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2008-2013

Hot Meals served Food Pantry PickupsClothing Pickups

33,6721,0071,542

39,3652,2461,369

40,4973,6192,618

45,5746,5253,326

56,4877,6248,879

61,82710,21011,958

84%914%675%

In 2013

Because of YOU...in 2013 we distributed 10,210

bags of groceries to families in Monmouth,

Ocean, Middlesex and Essex Counties.

Because of YOU...we served 61,827 hot meals to neighbors in need.

Because of YOU...we provided business attire for 250 individuals for job interviews through our

SUITED FOR SUCCESS PROGRAM

Because of YOU...every Tuesday - year round - rain or shine - we provide fresh fruit and

vegetables to people in need.

WITH YOU...we can, together, continue to breathe life back into those who are depleted of spirit and enable them to achieve much more in their lives and that of their family. Please... “STEP UP TO THE

PLATE”

Because of YOU...we brought smiles to over 1500 children through our Adopt-a-

Family Holiday Toy program.

Because of YOU...we distribute thousands of holiday food baskets during Christmas,

Easter and Thanksgiving.

Because of YOU…we graduated 106 children from our Kid’s Cooking Class program.

Because of YOU... we deliver 30+ hot, nutritious meals, 6 days a week, to the

elderly, weak, sick, and disabled.

There’s always a place at our table.

If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact Lunch Break at 732-747-8577. There is never a fee for the services we provide.

Because of you

The “Step Up to the Plate” Capital Campaign is to fund the construction of the new building, upgrades to the existing building and the purchase of additional property for a larger, safer, and more facility.

For three decades, Lunch Break has operated from its current modest 6,000-square-foot building. At any given time, due to a severe lack of space, Lunch Break is forced to rent off-site storage and warehousing facilities costing the organization over $6,000 per month. With secured funding, the planned expansion will annex the two buildings to the main facility resulting in an increase of over twice the space of the current facility.

In 2011 the two adjacent properties were donated by a generous supporter to allow Lunch Break to fulfill its dream of expanding and upgrading existing facilities to meet present and future needs.

We’ve Come This Far by FaithDear Friends,

Lunch Break is at the dawn of a new day and a new way of providing services to individuals and families who need our help. Our expansion project has started and thanks to you,

the community, we will soon be able to offer a “Client Choice” food pantry; house our Clothing and Suited for Success Programs; create a child-friendly reception area, increase the dining room capacity, add additional parking and more.

The Board of Trustees, faithfully embarked upon this ambitious project in the hope the community would “Step Up to the Plate” to support us.

After all, for 31 years Lunch Break has been a grassroots organization supported by everyday people seeking to do good. So whether you have big bucks or small change - you too can “Step Up

to the Plate” to help Lunch Break complete the expansion.I’m confident that you will want to be a part of Lunch Break’s growth, knowing that your support is a human investment into the lives of men, women and children who are experiencing financial challenges.

At Lunch Break we know that “First you Help, then comes Hope.” The staff and volunteers at Lunch Break lovingly deposit Help and Hope all day and everyday into the hearts of our neighbors in need. Please, we need you now to “Step Up to the Plate” and support this campaign.

I know you will come through, you always do. Thank you so much.God Bless,

Gwendolyn O. LoveExecutive Director

Gwendolyn O. Love

The “Step Up to the Plate” Capital Campaign is to fund the construction of the new building, upgrades to the existing building and the purchase of additional property for a larger, safer, and more facility.

“Step Up to the Plate”The expansion project will be executed in three phases so that Lunch Break can remain open.

Phase 1: The two donated properties have been

demolished and make way for the construction of a new

three story, 6,300-square foot building - two stories high

plus a basement connected to the existing Lunch Break

facility. The basement will house a 650-square foot

clothing “boutique”, a maintenance office, restrooms,

and a 900-square foot sorting and storage area for

our clothing operations. The first floor will contain a

740-square foot “choice food pantry”, reception and

waiting areas, private social service and intake offices,

donation drop, restrooms, stairs and an elevator. The

second floor will house administrative offices, a

conference and meeting room, and data stations.

Phase 2: After completion of Phase 1, the existing

facility will be renovated, almost doubling the seating

capacity in the dining room. The original kitchen will

be gutted, making way for a new, larger and more

functional kitchen. The basement will be cleared and

re-designed for efficient food storage and sorting.

Phase 3 Includes the purchase of additional

property for future expansion.

FACT: Hunger is not what many think. Those who come to Lunch Break are the unemployed and the underemployed and the employed. They are retired persons living on fixed incomes, senior citizens, young men and women unable to find jobs, families facing medical and financial catastrophes and the physically handicapped.

The Capital Campaign CommitteeSince 2011, a dedicated group of volunteers came together to form the “Step Up to the Plate” capital campaign committee to plan, energize, oversee, and set the tempo for the campaign. Without fail, meetings have been held every Tuesday evening at the home of Tom and Bonnie Johnson.

From left to right - Josephine Guttadauro, Mark Brahney, Bonnie Featherstone-Johnson (Chairwoman), Kate McMahon, Tom Johnson, Nancy Gill, John Anderson, Christopher Brett, Gwendolyn O. Love

Meet the Campaign Co-Chairs “There is no better measure of a community than how it helps its own in times of need,” explained Danny Murphy, an Honorary Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign. “Lunch Break is one of the most important ways that we can serve our less fortunate neighbors. We are proud to be part of a community that recognizes and supports these needs.”

Danny Murphy

Michele Kuhn, Editor of the Two River Times & Danny Murphy, both Co-Chairs at

the campaign kickoff

“Lunch Break services are not a hand-out, but a “hand-up” to those who find themselves challenged.” John & Robin Klein

John & Robin Klein

John & Robin Klein; Co-Chairs with Gwen Love; Executive Director

“The Sickle’s Family and Sickle’s Market are proud to be a big part of Lunch Break’s long history and part of this wonderful campaign. Like Sickle’s, Lunch Break is all about the community - it is the very essence of our community.”

Bob Sickles

Bob Sickles (Center); Co-Chair with Jackie & Mark Brahney; President of the Board of Trustees

TM

“The new kitchen will make

our work so much easier.

We’ll be able to bring in

more people to help and

we’ll be able to put out a

higher volume of meals.

We’ll also be able to help

out other agencies and

we’re hoping to make it a

teaching kitchen by bringing

in culinary students from around the area.”

The Kitchen: Serving approximately 125 hot meals a

day from a cramped kitchen is no easy feat. Chef Tyrone does it with love and makes it look effortless,

though. Says Chef Tyrone,

WHAT WILL THE RENOVATION DO?The Capital Campaign will bring many critical improvements to Lunch Break, most importantly to the four centers from which Lunch Break breathes: the kitchen, the pantry, clothing, and our social services. This is what the expansion means to the gracious folks who volunteer and work there.

“The new building will allow Lunch Break to re-

consolidate all its programs

under one roof. We’ll have

direct contact with the

guests and clients, making

fittings and preparations for

interviews and employment

much easier. It’s so exciting!”

Suited for Success: Right now, the Suited for Success and clothing distribution programs are located way across town in a warehouse in Shrewsbury costing Lunch Break thousands of dollars in rent every month. Inice Hennessey, full-time

volunteer coordinator of the program states...

“The expansion will provide

our extensive network of

support services and local

partners who come into

our facility on a daily basis,

(Veterans Affairs, VNA, Affordable Housing, Red

Bank Resource Network, Meridian Healthcare,

Legal Services and more)

to meet guests/clients in private rooms enabling them to move past their

circumstances and build a better life.”

Social Services: Sharda Jetwani, is the program director at Lunch Break. Says Jetwani...

“I can’t wait! Cramped

conditions in the basement,

where the food pantry is

now, limits volunteer efforts

and efficiency. The new

building will enable us to

move our food pantry from

the basement to the first floor

allowing guests ground-level

access enabling Lunch Break

to offer a client-choice system

catering to individual diet,

nutritional and family needs.”

The Pantry: Donna Saatchi, a full time volunteer who

coordinates the constant flow of food in and out of Lunch Break,

says...

Fill out the application form below - cut out and send with payment in enclosed envelope.

Thank you so much I was there this morning and I would like to tell you that your staff is wonderful. They did not treat me like I was nothing. I have never been to a place that has been so nice I felt very accepted at the lunch break. Thank you very much.

Non Profit Rate MailU.S. Postage PaidPermit No. 108Red Bank, NJ

07701

Website: www.lunchbreak.orgEmail: info@lunchbreak.orgTelephone: 732-747-8577Fax: 732-212-8322

121 Drs. James Parker BlvdP.O. Box 2215Red Bank, NJ 07701

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CREDITS

Editor - Gwendolyn O. Love, Executive DirectorCoordinator - Jill GwydirWriters - Kate McMahon, Jill GwydirPhotos - Millie Jeter, Betsy Wattley, Suzanne VreelandCreative - Kate McMahonPrint House - Jersey Printing AssociatesDesigner - Pablo Marin

The Taylors

Your kindness may seem simple to you, but it meant everything to me.

FOODSTOCK 2014 - Help us reach our goal of 50,000 pounds. Saturday, May 17th, 11am - 2pm - Red Bank Middle School, 101 Harding Rd.