On the second Saturday of every month, Shore Fellowship Church located on Ocean Heights
Avenue in Egg Harbor Township does a community service project which gets its members
involved in helping the community. A coat drive was initiated and coats were collected to hand
out to the homeless in Atlantic City, as well as make a trip to Atlantic City Rescue Mission..
A member of the Shore Fellowship Church, Stephanie Berge, that also volunteers at The United
Way of Cape May County on Thursdays helping serve hot lunches had noticed that boxes of
brand new coats that had been donated 2 years ago were going unused due an over abundance
of coat donations received this year. The United Way clothing volunteers were putting the coats
out every week for people to take, and it seemed as if everyone had taken what they needed and
for weeks we have had the leftovers of coats sitting there. It was decided by the United Way’s
administration to put the Cape May County United Way’s over abundance of coats to good use
and help a fellow county. “When Stephanie had mentioned the coat drive that her church was
doing and asked if she could take them, we were happy to donate and help the homeless in any
way possible,” noted an administer of The United Way.
“What I thought was about 60 coats of all different sizes that was being donated, turned out to be
double that! 120 coats to help keep homeless in Atlantic City warm was a true blessing! It was
proof that even though located in different counties and dealing with different people, that we
all have the same mission,” said Stephanie Berge. “Since donations to our church were a little
lower than what they had hoped for, The United Way of Cape May County’s donation meant a
lot to us all, especially those receiving them.”
As the Shore Fellowship Church of Egg Harbor Township headed out in the snow to St. James
Street in Atlantic City, on Saturday morning, January 8th, people came flocking out from
underneath the boardwalk for coats and things to keep them warm. The donations from The
United Way of Cape May County, as well as the people in our community were put to good use
and everyone was thankful for what they received. The remainder of the coats and donations
were sent to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission which is currently at full capacity.
The United Way of Cape May County is accepting clothing and food donations, as well as seeking
numerous volunteers for various positions. To find out how you can help, call 729-2002. The office
is
possible.