An act of mercy: Georgian Court students pack Thanksgiving grocery bags for needy families

LAKEWOOD - Andrew Diaz spent Tuesday morning at Georgian Court University, not outside among the autumn foliage and marble sculptures, but inside Mercy Hall packing reusable grocery bags with the fixings of Thanksgiving meals for families in need.

There, a team of students, faculty and staff carried on a tradition of service this week that began more than a century ago, when the Sisters of Mercy took over the former estate of millionaire George Jay Gould and made their religious mission of helping others a lasting tenet of the school.

The students packed 30 large bags with instant mashed potatoes, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, yams, gravy and other Thanksgiving table staples. The bags would be divided between Interfaith Family Services of Ocean County, which helps homeless people in the area, and Providence House, a Whiting-based division of Catholic Charities that supports victims of domestic violence.

"Thanksgiving has always been really important to me and my family," said Diaz, who is studying to become a teacher. Thanksgiving "is a good thing to have, especially…given the circumstances that these people, unfortunately, are put in. So I know it (the Thanksgiving donation) doesn't solve it, but at least it kind of helps."

Across New Jersey, homelessness was up 17% between 2022 and early 2023, according to a report from the nonprofit Monarch Housing Associates, an organization that performs the state's annual homeless count. In Monmouth and Ocean counties, homelessness was up 7% and 4% this year, respectively.

According to another report from Rutgers University's State Policy Lab, homelessness resulting from domestic violence increased 3.4% in New Jersey between 2020 and 2021.

The holidays are often a difficult time for families facing domestic violence or homelessness, said Ciara Zdanowicz, who graduated Georgian Court in 2021 and now works for Providence House. Combined with the high cost of groceries and inflation of other basic costs in the past year, these families are facing compounding struggles, Zdanowicz said.

"Every year we have a Thanksgiving drive (at Georgian Court University), where we put together baskets and deliver them to Providence House and Interfaith (Family Services), where people can have a sense of normalcy for a day," said Zdanowicz. "It just makes it… so much easier to just pick up a basket, bring it home and start cooking without all the added stress."

The baskets are just one act of service students at Georgian Court will participate in this week. On Wednesday, more volunteers will make sandwiches for St. Peter’s Free Community Lunch Program in Freehold Borough.

"Food insecurity is not just for the holidays," said Amy Cerreta, a social worker who serves as Georgian Court's campus minister.

Even at the university, some students and their families are struggling to afford food, she said. Georgian Court has its own food pantry on campus to help, she added.

Georgian Court "is a mercy-inspired institution," Cerreta said. "And that's the thread that binds all the activities that we do."

Georgian Court senior Courtney Fenty helped to assemble the Thanksgiving baskets and reflected on the pressures faced by families less fortunate than her own at the holidays.

"I think that us being more privileged, I'm sure we can all spend Thanksgiving with our families (and) everyone buys the food. It's not a big deal," Fenty said. "But for other people, it is a very big thing that they go through every year."

Georgian Court's donations to Providence House and Interfaith Family Services will help lift some of that burden, she said.

"It's nice to be able to know that people (can) enjoy the season," Fenty said.

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Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 15 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.