westfield charity Archives - Luxury Homes/Top Towns

Westfield Toy Drive 2021

December 10, 2021 by Scott Gleason

The Christmas holiday season is in full swing in the Westfield area. For most of us, this means spending time with family and exchanging gifts with those we love. Unfortunately, some people dread the holidays. Either they spend it alone or they struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table already. This time of year puts extra pressure on them to make it special for their children. You can help by donating to the Westfield Toy Drive.

Spread Christmas joy to kids in need this year by donating to the Westfield Toy Drive at Ron Banksy and Associates or Kinderprep in Downtown Westfield. Then, do your Christmas shopping downtown and enter to win a prize with the Westfield Elf on a Shelf Contest.

Westfield Toy Drive 2021

Two Downtown Westfield companies (Allstate Insurance at 502 E. Broad St. and Kinderprep at 80 South Ave. W) partnered up with Springfield charity Furniture Assist to host a Westfield Toy Drive this year. Furniture Assist provides everything from clothing to household goods to people in need. Right now, both businesses accept donations of new or gently used unwrapped toys at their offices during normal business hours. They will continue to do so through the end of the year. At that time, they will deliver all donations to Furniture Assist to distribute to families in the Westfield area.

Elf on a Shelf Selfie Contest in Downtown Westfield

Several Downtown Westfield shops sell items that make great Christmas presents. If you decide to pick up a few toys for the Toy Drive while checking names off of your Christmas gift list, that would be great. While you do that, though, keep your eye out for that tricky Elf on a Shelf. When you spot him, take a quick photo with him, post it on your Instagram, and tag the photo with #WestfieldElfieSelfie. Winners will be chosen at random from entries (add that hashtag) to receive free tickets to “An Elf’s Story” movie showing at the Rialto on December 19th. You may also purchase tickets to the movie online here.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Westfield Holiday Food Drive at the Stop & Shop

December 10, 2020 by Scott Gleason

With Christmas just a couple of weeks away, we edge closer and closer to closing the chapter on 2020. For some, it cannot come soon enough. So many people struggle with food insecurity in a “normal” year. But in 2020, the global pandemic hit millions of US families even harder. To combat these issues, the Stop & Shop hosts their annual Westfield holiday food drive…with a couple of tweaks.

What: Westfield Holiday Food Drive
Where: Stop & Shop (219 Elm St)
When: Now through Christmas
Contact: Stop & Shop (908) 232-1292

Westfield Holiday Food Drive

In years past, the Stop & Shop began their food drive before Thanksgiving. For just $10, people purchased boxes filled with all the trimmings necessary to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal. These boxes then went to the charity that the donor chose. This year, supply issues meant no Thanksgiving food drive. However, they simply moved their focus off of Thanksgiving and on to Christmas with their Westfield Holiday Food Drive.

The boxes still cost $10 each. But they now contain non-perishable food items that all go to Westfield’s Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church for their food pantry. If you wish to donate, just visit the Stop & Shop anytime between now and Christmas. Then, add a small $10 donation per bag to help struggling families enjoy a good meal this Christmas.

Westfield Y’s Men’s Christmas Tree Lot

I am so pleased to announce that the Westfield Area Y Men’s Club Christmas tree lot sold out their entire inventory of trees already. We want to thank everyone who came out and bought their tree from us. We are extremely grateful for your patronage. We promise that the money raised will be put to good use in the upcoming year. Merry Christmas to you all.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Westfield Area Y Clothing Drive 2020

May 28, 2020 by Scott Gleason

How have you been spending your quarantine hours? Tackling your spring cleaning, perhaps? Now’s the time to do it, that’s for sure. Did you find clothes that don’t fit you or your family anymore? Want to update your wardrobe but need to make room first? Take all of your gently used items to the Westfield Area Y Clothing Drive 2020. Then, they’ll take it from there.

Have you spent part of your time in quarantine cleaning out your closets and cupboards? Get rid of your excess at the Westfield Area Y Clothing Drive 2020.

What: Clothing Drive
Where: Westfield Area Y (422 E Broad St)
When: Wednesday, June 3rd, 7:30 am to 2:30 pm

Westfield Area Y Clothing Drive 2020

Don’t throw out items you no longer have a use for. Give them a new purpose by donating them to the Y’s clothing drive on June 3rd. Our local YMCA accepts clothing, shoes, accessories (belts, bags, hats, etc.), bedding, towels, and even stuffed animals and small plastic toys for their clothing drive. All items received will be sold at a later date. Proceeds from the sale directly benefit their financial assistance program. So, if you’ve gained a “quarantine 15” and no longer fit into some of your clothes or your children no longer play with certain toys and they just seem to take up space in your home, bring them to the YMCA so that another family can get some use out of them.

Westfield Area Y’s Financial Assistance Program

The Y believes that no one should be turned away from utilizing their services, especially if they experience a financial hardship of any kind. Therefore, they award scholarships for community members in need to offset membership fees. These scholarships are used for day care, child care after school, day camps in the summertime, sports, and aquatic classes as well as membership fees. To find out more about the scholarship and to download an application, visit the Y’s website here.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Westfield Virtual 5k to Feed Frontline Workers

May 15, 2020 by Scott Gleason

Do you remember the Freshman 15 in college? Well, some of us seem to be reliving our college days. They call it the “quarantine 15”. How have you spent your “stay at home” order? Streaming movies and binging on comfort food? Those pounds sneak up fast. Out Run Your Fork wants to motivate you to get some exercise while helping feel our frontline workers. They organized a Westfield Virtual 5k set over Memorial Day weekend. Are you up for the challenge?

Get off the couch and help Out Run Your Fork raise money to feed our local healthcare workers by participating in their first Westfield Virtual 5k.

What: Westfield Virtual 5k
Where: You Set Your Own Course
When: Sunday, May 24th, anytime
Cost: Free registration, $15 donation per person preferred
Contact: Out Run Your Fork (973) 348-9898

Westfield Virtual 5k

Like any other physical 5k, you can run or walk your way through the virtual 5k course. You still must actually physically complete the entire 5k. However, you decide when and where to do it in Westfield on May 24th. Remember to continue practicing social distancing from others as well.

Out Run Your Fork plans on using the money raised from this 5k and other fundraisers they have planned to purchase food from local restaurants to feed our healthcare workers. They sit on the frontline in this battle against COVID-19. Long hours giving aid to the sick usually mean a quick lunch on the go for many. With Out Run’s initiative, they help feed the frontline workers and keep local restaurants in business at the same time.

How to Register

It costs nothing to register for the virtual 5K. But they prefer a $15 donation per person. The goal is to raise at least $10,000 to feed our healthcare workers. So, please be as generous as you can. Visit the Westfield Virtual 5K event website to sign up. Get your entire family off the couch for this fun 5k. Out Run Your Fork plans on giving away a free 28-day personal training program to one lucky person who participates. That could be you. Good luck and thank you.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Support Mobile Meals of Westfield, Buy an Acme Bag in January

January 24, 2020 by Scott Gleason

I love that our Westfield community believes in helping those less fortunate. (Who donated items for the MLK Service Day Toiletry Kits earlier this week?) As some of us age, mobility becomes a factor. Doing regular chores like grocery shopping, cleaning, and cooking can be a little more difficult. Sometimes, money becomes a problem as well. Mobile Meals of Westfield partnered up with Acme’s Give Where It Counts this month. Buy a bag. Help a Human.

Mobile Meals of Westfield

For the last 50 years, Mobile Meals of Westfield has been providing meals to approximately 65 people five days a week in the Westfield area. They serve people in Cranford, Fanwood, Clark, Scotch Plains, Mountainside, and Harwood. And they do this without any public funding whatsoever. They depend on private donations and volunteers.

How You Can Help

It’s very simple. Shop at Clark Acme on Raritan anytime before the end of business on January 31st. Go to Customer Service. Look for the Mobile Meals sign located above the reusable bag rack. Pick up two or three bags. Pay for them along with your groceries at checkout. For each $3 bag purchased, $1 goes to help Westfield’s Mobile Meals program. That’s it.

Help those in need in our community. And as a bonus, you help the environment by reducing the amount of plastic bags that end up in local landfills. It’s a win-win for everybody.

Acme Give Back Where It Counts Program

In August of last year, Acme started its Give Back Where It Counts program. Whenever a customer purchases a reusable bag, $1 gets donated to the local non-profit of the customer’s choice. In the short five and a half months since the program started, more than $24,000 went to over 750 non-profit organizations in the Westfield area. Over 200 of those who received donations were hunger relief organizations. Imagine what good your donation could do for the environment as well as your neighbors. Making our world better one bag at a time.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes