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Jersey shore native Margo Pellegrino is on a mission to raise awareness of the ocean’s declining state of affairs one paddle stroke at a time.

The mother of two is in the midst of a two-year clean water paddle campaign from the Big Apple to the Big Easy. To date she has paddled over 5,000 miles to draw attention to the threats our oceans face and to inspire individuals to take an active role in protecting them.

To help further her goal, Pellegrino will kick off the first of three statewide fundraising gatherings from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Kula Café on Springwood Avenue. Suggested donations begin at $50 but all contributions are welcome, according to news release.

“Growing up on the shores of New Jersey, Margo has witnessed the decline of the ocean’s health,” the statement said.  “As the waves she once rushed to jump into became the same waves infested with bacteria, Margo set out on a mission to save our seas.”

Pellegrino will work with environmentalist along the route of this year’s paddle to draw attention to issues impacting not only the ocean but also on inland waterways. She will paddle from Chicago to New Orleans from August to September.

Event sponsors include our areas environmental fighters: Blue Frontier, Benson Chiles, Clean Ocean Action, American Littoral Society, Tim Dillingham, Lindsay McNamara, Doug O’Malley, Klaus Rittenbach of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Bob Sandberg and Joanne Pannone, Marilyn Schlossbach, Save Barnegat Bay, Jeff Tittel, John Weber, Britta Wenzel, and Cindy Zipf.

Kula Café is located at 1201 Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park.

For more information, visit Pellegrino’s web page here.

[feature photo courtesy of Julie McCoy of Inwood Canoe Club of Pellegrino’s May 2015 kick off paddle.]

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