---

When Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes returns for their annual holiday show on The Stone Pony Summerstage Saturday night, so returns their collaboration with the venue and local nonprofit Asbury Park Toy Drive.

Celebrating their 20th anniversary, the Asbury Park Toy Drive began in 1999 as a way to support the needs of Asbury Park’s youth during the holiday season. And although that remains its core mission, the nonprofit has expanded its efforts to include Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day events, as well as an annual backpack and school supply collection and coat drive.

• 

• 

• 

Last year the 501(c)(3) nonprofit helped over 500 city families and almost 2000 children by distributing not only toys and coats but flash drives, school supplies, backpacks, field trips, scholarships (new this year) and their essay contest dinners. 

Among their roster of supporters is Diane Marrucca, who founded Jimmy’s Italian Restaurant in 1982 with husband Jimmy. Each year, Marrucca hosts a gratis four-course meal for Asbury Park School students and their families who participate in the Asbury Park Toy Drive’s Mother’s Day Essay Contest. Students are asked to expound on a woman who has shown them support, be it mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and for some educator. This year over 25 students were awarded prizes for winning compositions. 

• 

• 

• 

“If you are an educator and your student writes about you, it’s pretty special,” said Toy Drive founder Connie Breech, who is also a veteran member of the Asbury Park School Board. 

This year the event honored Jennifer Lampert, who successfully helped to put Asbury Park Festhalle and Biergarten on a global landscape and worked to support community initiatives; WindMill owner Steve Levine, who has been a constant presence through food and toy donations at Asbury Park Toy Drive fundraising and collection events; and Joe Sernio, a daytime actor from Howell who opened his Red Rose Bakery on Bangs Avenue this past year. 

• 

• 

• 

“I will continue to support everything I possibly can in Asbury Park, as well of the Toy Drive,” Sernio said during his acceptance speech. 

This past month, the group came together to honor over 30 students who wrote about their fathers, uncles, grandfathers, and men in the community who support them by hosting a screening of the Oscar-winning ‘Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse’ at The ShowRoom Cinemas flagship Cookman Avenue location. Once again, WindMill supplied the meal, with the ShowRoom offering popcorn and other treats for the students. 

• 

• 

• 

Asbury Park Toy Drive, while comprised of a small group of city residence, works throughout the year in support of Asbury Park’s youth. Their presence is showcased at community events such as the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Oysterfest events, and their contributions include supporting stalwart organizations like Danny McKee’s Asbury Park Little League. 

The July 6 Christmas in July fundraising endeavor asks concert goers and those in the community to drop off an unwrapped toy for a boy or girl. Those with a toy valued at $15 or more will recieve a voucher to attend any non-sold-out show at The Stone Pony. For more tickets to the event, click here. 

• 

• 

• 

Below find the nonprofit’s gratitude to regular supporters following the 2018 Christmas Toy Drive: 

There are so many people to thank I don’t know where to begin but I would like to recognize a few individually: Caroline O’Toole from The Stone Pony, Jennifer Lampert from the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, Joe Cole from Georgies Bar, Diane Marucca from Jimmy’s Italian Restaurant , Steve Levine from the WindMill, Lady Marissa and the Gorgeous Ladies, Candi Kane, The Front Bottoms, APMF, Paradise, Dark City Asbury Audio, The Asbury hotel, AP Brewery, NorthBeach (Celia!!) Mattison Marquette, Kids LLC, to all the new and old school elves — it could not have happened without you! To our local shops who allowed us to place a donation box — THANK YOU!! To SHORELINE Media who provided photos with Santa at Convention Hall, Thank you to my PBA Local #6 for the No Shave December, to our hardcore packers, Michael, Tony, Jenice, Gail, Denise, Ellen, and Terri. To Marshall Sigman who gave us Toy Central this year and to the Stone Pony who was again OUR North Pole, to our Santa’s Santa Barry and Big Mike, and to my great Board: Beth, Barb, Corey, and Mickey — love you guys thanks for taking this trip with me. Click here for a recap of the 2018 toy drive distribution event at The Stone Pony. 

——————————————————————————–

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---