Orange mayor and councilwoman partner up to spread holiday cheer

ORANGE, NJ — The Orange Democratic Committee members weren’t the only ones spreading holiday cheer and giving back to the community on Saturday, Dec. 21. While the committee hosted its annual coat drive, Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren and Councilwoman Adrienne Wooten were on a separate mission to give back to Orange residents.

Traveling to visit residents within the Orange community, Warren and Wooten said they saw the need to connect with residents on a more personal level, and found one effective way to do so was to meet face to face. During the weekend, the pair went door to door to spread Christmas cheer for the holiday season.

Wooten said both she and the mayor were really the ones who received the gift of giving.

“Mayor Warren and I agreed to put on our hats and coats and go spread cheer the old-fashioned way, by going door to door to connect with those in need,” Wooten said in a quote sent to the Record-Transcript on Thursday, Jan. 2. “We focused on grandparents who are caring for second-generation children. In the end, it was us who received the great gift of fellowship, the real reason for the season.”

While the pair said they viewed this as an opportunity to give Christmas gifts to children and the gift of thanks to the residents of the community, they added they thought the door-to-door family visits surely warmed the hearts and souls of Orange for the holiday season.

In their joint effort to give back, Warren and Wooten donated some gifts, as did the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots.

“I am thankful that I got to experience the holidays with families, as we went door to door on the days leading up to Christmas,” Warren said in a quote sent to the Record-Transcript on Sunday, Jan. 5. “The visits energized me to continue to move Orange forward.”

  Adrienne Wooten, Mayor Dwayne Warren, Orange Democratic Committee