Lunches for Sandy Victims, With a Personal Touch

Local residents pack lunches that will be transported to those still recovering from storm's hit on Staten Island, N.Y.

While residents of the Somerset Hills may still be cleaning up Sandy's wreckage, most have come through the storm with homes, and lives, intact. Not so for many of those whose neighborhoods were ravaged on Staten Island, N.Y. Cathy Fersini-Campitiello, a Bernardsville resident who is a Staten Island native, had reached out to local friends to help her prepare bagged lunches that she said she intends to give out starting Tuesday to people in those neighborhoods. Those she said she is trying to reach still cleaning up their homes, or are displaced because their homes are gone. One of those to answer the call was Lori Skea of Basking Ridge, who with a few other local friends, on Monday afternoon prepared bagged lunches with ham or turkey …

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Food Donations Needed For Thanksgiving & Hurricane Sandy

Local food pantries struggling to keep up with the demand this holiday season.

For food pantries across Northern New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy dealt a double blow: It increased the number of families in need of assistance and shortened the span between Halloween (which Gov. Chris Christie moved to Nov. 5) and Thankgsiving, which comes early this year. Prior to the storm, the Community Food Bank of New Jersey reported more than 960,000 residents of Northern New Jersey are food insecure, meaning at times they lack access to enough food to maintain an active, healthy life.  The Community Food Bank is hosting its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive this Saturday, Nov. 17 from 9am to 2pm at the following locations: Morris County Passaic County  Sommerset County  

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Sandy 'Unsung Heros' Lauded in Letter

Local resident thanks those workers from many states who answered call to help restore power for the area.

Editor's Note: The following open letter was submitted to Patch. To Our Unsung Heros! We were driving home from Pittsburgh on Route 80 yesterday, and we saw caravans of Cherry Pickers on their way back to Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, etc. I realized that these people had come all this way to help us in N.J.! Mind you — it felt like we didn't have much help at times, but seeing the number of trucks that day was a reminder that N.J. did have much help from across the country! I decided today to thank any of the people in town working to restore our power! I chatted with a few men from Indiana in the Kings parking lot as they rested in their truck and told them how grateful I was. They admitted they were exhausted and so I gave them a 10-…

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PayPal Now Accepted at The Home Depot, Foot Locker, Hollister (Sponsored)

Shoppers can now pay with PayPal at their local Foot Locker, The Home Depot, Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch.

PayPal announced this year that shoppers at The Home Depot, Hollister, Foot Locker and Abercrombie & Fitch can now pay with their mobile number and a PIN associated with their PayPal account.  For more than 15 years, people have used PayPal to shop online and on mobile devices. Now, the more than 117 million PayPal users worldwide, can also pay securely at their favorite local stores. The new in-store payment system is free of transaction fees for shoppers. Using PayPal for payment in-store or online means you will never have to share your personal financial info, such as your credit card number, with retailers. Plus, PayPal security specialists monitor transactions 24/7. They also have a customer service line for shoppers to call with any…

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Diversity of Somerset Hills on Display at YMCA Festival

Somerset Hills YMCA brought sights, sounds and tastes of the area's citizens together in annual festival.

For those who may doubt the diversity of the Somerset Hills area, a stop by the 17th annual International Festival, held last week at the Somerset Hills YMCA in Basking Ridge, would have proven otherwise. About 300 people showed up at the YMCA's main facility last Sunday afternoon to view and sample the music, art, crafts and foods of primarily local residents representing 25 countries, according to YMCA spokeswoman Megeen Laska. Fifty volunteers also made the day possible, with Jackie Fuchs serving as chair of this year's International Festival. Each year, the festive event brings together community organizations and individuals who represent the diverse people and cultures of the world — as well as the Somerset Hills communities. Themed…

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Halloween Season Celebrated in Many Upcoming Events

Halloween dance, outdoor Halloween activities, more.

This weekend is filled with Halloween events, 5K runs and lots to learn — even a chance to prep for that upcoming SAT by taking a free practice test at the Bernards Township Library. Below is the combination of our weekly pick of upcoming activities, offering both fun weekend activities and great family-friendly fun at the same time. Here are this week's picks: Tween Halloween Origami for Grades 4 to 6 When/Where: Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Bernards Township Library, 32 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge. Why Go: Local resident Jann Slapin wiill extol her knowledge and expertise on the art of origami. Come learn this fun art of folding paper. Cost: Free, registration required. This and other events are online at Bernards Township Library …

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