Group brings holiday cheer to 20 families

Almost 20 years since it started, the South River Adopt-A-Family program is still going strong.

ERIC SUCAR staff Carly Bostonian (clockwise from left) and Jamie Marino, both 12, Bryan Rafano, 13, and Emilie Geesey, 12, load a van with dozens of gifts Dec. 23 for local people in need in South River as part of the PTA's Adopt-A-Family program. It was a cold, blistery night on Dec. 23 when Donna Geesey and Debbie Zemann, who both coordinate the program, Debbie Piscitelli, who handles the toys, joined their own children, other children from the community and employees from D&A Auto Parts of Spotswood, which donated its time and truck for the deliveries. This group of volunteers sorted and wrapped all the clothes, shoes, toys and toiletry items such as shampoo, soap, powder and deodorant that were donated for local families in need.

"This year we adopted approximately 20 families and 60 children from the area schools," Zemann said. "Donations have been coming from various community organizations, local businesses, and even from anonymous donors who donate money."

ERIC SUCAR staff Carly Bostonian of South River and other volunteers load gifts and food into a van to be delivered to beneficiaries of the PTA's Adopt-A-Family program. Zemann added that the faculty and students held drives at South River High School and the Calico Cat Nursery School in South River for socks, mittens and hats.

"The Molly Pitcher Stitchers Quilt Guild donated beautiful hand-crocheted quilts," she said.

Geesey and Zemann said the program was founded in the 1980s by the South River Elementary/Primary School PTA, which at the time would collect items and adopt one family every year.

"In 2006, we had adopted the most families we had ever had — over 27 families and 112 kids," said Geesey, who started coordinating the program 18 years ago. "We were actually concerned about the economy this year. … We had a nurse at the schools contact us last minute with two more families."

Zemann, who joined Geesey 15 years ago, noted that the guidance department at the schools told them that if it were not for the donations collected for the families, they would have not gotten anything for the holidays this year.

Rose Janicki, who came out to volunteer her time, said she is grateful for the program and to everyone involved in the cause.

"I used to be one of the families," she said. "I came back to South River living on two nickels."

The program tries to donate two outfits, a pair of pajamas, a coat, two toys, shoes, socks, mittens and hats to each child.

The program also provides the families with a holiday meal, and the kids have their Polaroid photograph taken with Santa Claus.

Besides collecting donations, the volunteers hold a breakfast with Santa, which took place on Dec. 20.

"This is our only fundraiser, everything else is by donations," Zemann said.

About 10 kids from the community came to help sort the donations, including Geesey's daughter Emilie, 12, Piscitelli's daughter Francesca, 12, Jennifer Aquino, 12, Olivia Boylar, 13, Jaime Marino, 13, Carly Bostonian, 12, and Bryan Rafano, 13, who all attend South River Middle School, and Andrew Rafano, 15, who attends St. Joseph's High School in Metuchen.

"We love doing this, it makes us feel that we are doing something [for the community]," Brian Rafano said.

All the kids agreed that the program was a nice thing to do for the community.

"It's for a good cause," Jennifer Aquino said.

Geesey and Zemann recalled one year in which they sat back while their two daughters coordinated the program for their Girl Scout Gold Award.

"We were thinking maybe we could sit back and let them take over, but then we sat down one day, looked at each other, and said 'We can't give it up,'" Zemann said.

Donations are accepted throughout the year for the program. For more information and to donate, call Donna Geesey at 732- 390-8202 or Debbie Zemann at 732-390- 0678.