WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, UNICO and Rotary Club showed their appreciation for their successes of the past year by donating $267 and hundreds of pounds of food to the Holy Trinity Food Pantry during their annual Community Thanksgiving Luncheon at Mayfair Farms on Nov. 23.
The money was a combination of online donations and proceeds from the event’s 50/50 raffle, while the food was collected by township businesses and community members. And residents really came through with the donations. Ken Baris, the luncheon committee chairman, said his own collection site at Jordan Baris Inc. Realtors collected more than 100 pounds of food.
But that generosity does not surprise Baris. In fact, the WOCC member said the very nature of the event demonstrates just how “incredible” West Orange is.
“Our community is a very special one,” Baris told the West Orange Chronicle before taking his place as the luncheon’s master of ceremonies. “There is a kindness which, by the way, I think is more important than ever. The Chamber and the service organizations reflect the character and quality of the community. And we think this is a fantastic example of why West Orange is a special place.”
The food pantry is certainly appreciative of West Orange’s generosity. Executive Director Cynthia Cumming told the Chronicle the pantry serves an average of 5,944 people per year, including those who are unemployed, disabled and homeless. She said the pantry gave food to approximately 200 people in November alone. But the pantry needs all the help it can get, she said, pointing out that she spends roughly $1,500 per month on nonperishable items to stock the pantry’s shelves.
Gifts such as the luncheon’s donation are “critical” to the pantry, according to the Rev. Miguel Hernandez of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Hernandez said that his congregation may be small, but has a huge heart, which is the reason it hosts the pantry as well as other services including ESL classes and the God, Science and Art summer program. With limited resources and a church building in need of infrastructure repairs, however, he said it can be challenging to afford everything. Fortunately, he said, the township has always been willing to support its needs.
And that says a lot about its residents, Hernandez said.
“That shows that people are good,” Hernandez told the Chronicle before giving the invocation and benediction at the luncheon. “That means that people in West Orange are sensitive people. And that’s important because it shows that we are a community and we recognize one another.”
Contributing to charitable causes is not the only way one can give, though. In his speech at the luncheon, Monsignor Michael Kelly of Seton Hall Preparatory School said there are three kinds of giving — self-giving, thanksgiving and forgiving. And he offered plenty of quotes and stories to describe each.
For self-giving, Kelly quoted John Boyden, who said “If you haven’t helped someone today, your day is not complete,” and Winston Churchill, who said “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” He recited the story of the good Samaritan — a New Testament parable in which a righteous man from the Samaria assists a traveler who has been beaten — and explained that the parable teaches that all people should help one another as neighbors. He also pointed out that one could see self-giving right in West Orange through the actions of its service organizations.
There is a lot to be thankful for in West Orange too, Kelly said, from the leadership to the schools to the families who reside in town. Yet the monsignor also pointed out that one should never forget to give thanks to God.
Kelly said developing the capacity to forgive is essential because, quoting from Martin Luther King Jr., “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” And he had a story of his own to show this. The monsignor recalled he was once stopped by a police officer for speeding while driving home from a Seton Hall Prep baseball game in Parsippany. As luck would have it, while he was talking to the officer, the bus carrying the team drove past with the players hooting and hollering out the windows upon noticing Kelly on the side of the road.
“The police officer said to me, ‘Do you know them?’” Kelly said. “I said ‘Yes, they are my students, my baseball team.’ The officer thought for a moment and said ‘You did your penance. You’re forgiven. You’re free to go.’”
That story was lighthearted, but Kelly is serious about teaching the importance of giving to his students. Speaking to the Chronicle after the luncheon, he said SHP instills that value in its boys both in class and by giving them the opportunity to tutor local children. Doing so is essential because being charitable is what life is all about, he said.
Mayor Robert Parisi also discussed the value in teaching young people — particularly in teaching them to appreciate what they have. Parisi pointed out that today’s youth have more information in their phones than in 1,000 encyclopedias, yet they do not know the significance of a firm handshake and a warm smile. He said they can send their thoughts all over the world through social media, but people are becoming more divided than ever. They are enjoying the spoils of the 21st century without the respect for the struggles that made them possible, he said.
“Our kids have the world at their fingertips literally and figuratively, but I don’t know if we’ve done enough to teach them the value of that,” Parisi said during the luncheon. “Our parents had nothing, but they had gratitude. This Thanksgiving be grateful not for the abundance, but for the quality of God’s blessing because everything else is just noise.”
Parisi further expounded on this concept when talking with the Chronicle after the event. The mayor acknowledged that the latest gadgets are now a major part of people’s lives, but stressed that they should not define people.
“Regardless of how we get surrounded with technology, we should never lose our focus on our humanity,” Parisi told the Chronicle. “I’m still a big believer that one-to-one personal contact is the best way. Although it’s going to get harder and harder for future generations to evolve that way because of advancements, we should never lose sight of that. Technology’s great, but we should never lose touch with dealing one-on-one with people directly and honestly.”
The mayor himself said he was thankful this holiday season, particularly for his wife, children, family and friends. Parisi said the simple things in life are important, saying he is grateful for so much in his life. And he was not the only one to say this.
Tim King and Bob Sochor of the Lions Club both said they were thankful for their ability to help those in need through their service activities, which include raising funds for the Seeing Eye Dog Foundation and other charities that help the blind. King, the Lions Club president, and Sochor told the Chronicle it is the moral obligation of everyone to give to those in need.
WOCC Executive Director Brittany Chiles said she is thankful for the many Chamber members who helped make the Thanksgiving luncheon a success, including Baris, Roger Schneider, Tina Parsons, Ita Sonnet and Rick Brill. Chiles said the event has become an essential part of the WOCC calendar for the many benefits it provides to local business owners. The luncheon is not just a party to celebrate Thanksgiving, she said, but it is a crucial way to helping local businesses.
“People will talk about business and personal things being separate, but the reality is business is all about relationships,” Chiles told the Chronicle after the event. “The Thanksgiving luncheon gives people the opportunity to develop relationships with new faces around town — not only other Chamber members but organization members, residents, those who work in West Orange but maybe don’t own a business. It’s a really warm environment. People come ready and open to learn about one another and to network a bit, and we’re able to assist.”
Photos by Sean Quinn
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