Volunteers put forth effort to repair homes

FREEHOLD — The borough once again welcomed a group of teenagers from the World Changers organization who offered their time and abilities to help repair homes for those who could not afford to do so.

It marked the second summer that the World Changers representatives came to Freehold Borough.

The teenagers hailed from as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as North Carolina and Georgia. They also came from Illinois and Texas, and one young man came all the way from Ireland.

The World Changers visited the borough from July 4 through July 11 and spent their days painting, repairing and sprucing up homes on South Street, Stokes Street, Bowne Avenue, Bond Street, Court Street and Lenoir Avenue.

Councilman Kevin Kane, who headed up the project, said it was a welcome addition to the town, especially during a difficult economic climate when some people may not be able to afford repairs to their home.

The motivation for the work is spiritual. The young people say they are working for God and, in the process, are bringing pride of ownership back to some people who may have lost it along the way.

World Changers is a ministry of the North American Board Southern Baptist Convention. The program has been in existence since 1990.

Student volunteers range in age from 13 to young adult and are supervised by adults who are generally craftsmen such as roofers, painters and carpenters, who will help to work on the houses.

This project inspired local businesses, organizations and committees to join in the effort to bring people together for a good cause.

According to Kane, new this year in Freehold Borough were generous donations offered by local restaurants who provided lunch for the 90 youngsters who came to spend the week working on homes in town.

The Metropolitan Café donated lunch on Monday, which was distributed by members of the Borough Council and the Recreation Commission. Federici's provided pizza on Tuesday for the teens, which was distributed by council members and members of the Spooktacular Committee.

On Wednesday lunch was provided by Sorrento's Subs and distributed by members of the council and the Freehold Fire Department. On Thursday the youngsters had lunch provided by El Meson, which was distributed by council members and members of the Neighborhood Pride Committee, with an escort from the Freehold Borough Police Department.

On Friday the teens were treated to lunch by the Court Jester, which was delivered by council members and members of the Freehold First Aid and Emergency Squad.

This year the Freehold Rotary Club coordinated fundraising, and Downtown Freehold. com (the Freehold Center Partnership) coordinated the lunch efforts.

Kane said Norkus Foodtown and Saker ShopRite made donations of drinks and snacks. He said the borough's Department of Public Works contributed manpower as needed.

In addition, Anthony Cammallere, the president and CEO of T&K Contractors, assisted in securing all of the building supplies, roofing materials and paint for the work. The Neighborhood Pride Committee assisted in a homeowner outreach program to identify homes for the World Changers to work on.

Kane said Cammallere helped secure the best materials at the best prices.

"Without Anthony, we may not have been able to have this project come to fruition," the councilman said.

Kane also credited Richard Gatto, the CEO of the Freehold Center Partnership, with helping to coordinate the lunches that were provided to the volunteers.

According to Kane, this was a mayorand council-initiated project that developed into a community-wide effort and brought together businesses, organizations, committees, and civic and government agencies for one cause — to help out neighbors.

"The idea this year was to get as many people as possible involved in the project," Kane explained. "And the more people who heard about it, the more new people came to help."