New Jersey
Easterseals New Jersey and Cross River Bank Rally to Support Residents Impacted by SNAP Benefit Delays Amid Government Shutdown
(JAMESBURG, NJ) — Easterseals New Jersey, a disability services nonprofit, and Cross River Bank, a technology infrastructure provider offering embedded financial solutions, have joined forces to assist hundreds of individuals and families who are experiencing partial or delayed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amid the ongoing federal funding impasse.
With over 827,000 New Jersey residents relying on SNAP, including many with disabilities, continuing federal funding shortfalls and processing delays are deepening food insecurity and placing additional strain on local support networks. This strategic partnership aims to bridge immediate food access gaps while delays persist.
“When benefit systems pause, people don’t stop needing groceries, transportation or care,” said Brian Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer of Easterseals New Jersey. “This partnership with Cross River means we can act now.”
Easterseals New Jersey’s staff mobilized quickly to assess the needs of more than 4,000 program participants statewide and identify partners and resources to close emerging gaps. The team established a centralized resource hub linking residents to hundreds of food banks across all 21 counties and is directly coordinating with local vendors to prepare and distribute meals to those most affected. This swift response is particularly vital for individuals with disabilities, who already face heightened obstacles connected to employment, transportation, and access to care.
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Through Cross River’s charitable giving arm, Foundation@, the Bank donated $18,000 to Easterseals New Jersey to fund the purchase of ShopRite gift cards for their program participants who rely on SNAP benefits. The donation also includes the packing and distribution of food packages to additional residents affected by the ongoing government shutdown, helping ensure individuals and families continue to access essential groceries while federal operations stabilize.
“Our employees exemplify resilience. When faced with the SNAP benefits uncertainty, they responded with unwavering commitment and heart,” said Brian Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer of Easterseals New Jersey. “The passion our team brings to their work is matched only by the generosity of partners like Cross River Bank, whose support helps us meet urgent needs and empower those we serve to thrive even in times of crisis”.
Cross River has a history of providing aid in times of uncertainty. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank provided crucial funding to small businesses in need, providing 480,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling more than $13 billion, saving more than 1.4 million jobs across the country.
“At Cross River, we believe that community is the foundation of everything we do,” said Miriam L. Wallach, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Cross River. “When uncertainty affects our neighbors’ ability to meet basic needs, we have a responsibility to step up. Through our partnership with Easterseals, we’re ensuring that families have access to nutritious food and the support they deserve.”
The collaboration combines Cross River’s deep-rooted devotion to community with Easterseals’ long-standing expertise in delivering essential human services, uniting both organizations around a shared dedication to promote stability, inclusion, and dignity for all New Jersey residents.
Easterseals New Jersey encourages anyone who wishes to support its mission to visit www.eastersealsnj.org and help ensure that no family is left behind during these periods of uncertainty.
For more than 75 years, Easterseals New Jersey has empowered people with disabilities and special needs to live independently and reach personal milestones with equality and dignity. Each year, nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents access services designed to foster independence and community integration.
Cross River provides technology infrastructure powering the future of financial services. Leveraging its proprietary real-time banking core, Cross River delivers innovative and scalable embedded payments, cards, lending, and crypto solutions to millions of consumers and businesses. Cross River is backed by leading investors and serves the world’s most essential fintech and technology companies. Leading the industry, Cross River is reshaping global finance and financial inclusion. Member FDIC.
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It was a first for South Amboy police Sgt. David Kales and patrolmen Mark Lewis and Paul Noble on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2000 when they helped deliver a baby.
Less than two minutes after arriving at a Washington Avenue home on the report of a woman in labor, Jeriel was born to Jennifer Llibre, with an assist by the three city cops.
Here’s a look at events that happened in Central Jersey from five, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years ago this week.
Five years ago
Dec. 3, 2020: It was reported Ray Cipperly Field at Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools’ East Brunswick campus had been named the 2020 Schools and Parks Baseball Field of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association, a nonprofit professional organization for men and women who manage sports fields worldwide.
Dec. 4: In a statement, it was announced Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and bill sponsors Sen. Nick Scutari and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano had reached a deal on bills that would establish a framework for a legal weed industry, setting up a key vote in the coming weeks.
Dec. 4: Six NJ hospitals ― Hackensack University Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center, University Hospital in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City and Cooper University Hospital in Camden ― were selected to receive the first COVID-19 vaccines, it was reported.
Dec. 4: It was reported Juan Hector Padilla, 29, of Bound Brook, was indicted in connection with a seven-alarm fire that damaged two apartment buildings under construction on West Main Street in Bound Brook in January 2020.
Dec. 7: Hillsborough had become a “Stigma-Free Community,” a campaign, an initiative of the Somerset County Department of Human Services, to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and create an environment where people feel free to seek support without fear of being stigmatized, it was reported.
Dec. 7: State officials said an unidentified resident at the Menlo Park veterans home died over the weekend from COVID-19 ― the first death at one of the state-run veterans homes in 180 days.
Dec. 7: It was reported celebrity chef David Burke would open Orchard Park, his fourth restaurant to open during the pandemic, on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, at the Chateau Grande Hotel in East Brunswick.
10 years ago
Dec. 2, 2015: Appearing on ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” Gov. Chris Christie defended his hard-line opposition to relocating Syrian refugees to NJ and said former Gov. Thomas Kean ― his latest critic on the issue ― was all wrong.
Dec. 3: A day after 14 people were killed in a mass shooting in California, lawmakers failed to override Gov. Chris Christie’s veto of a gun-control bill by just three votes.
Dec. 3: The Westfield High School football team beat Bridgewater-Raritan, 10-7, in a sectional final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
Dec. 5: George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic with TL Shider, Garden State Line, Midnight Mosaic and Underground Logic, performed at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville.
2000
Dec. 2, 2000: About 70 supporters of Texas Gov. George W. Bush rallied outside the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerville on behalf of his claim to the presidency.
Dec. 3: Two divorcing parents ― Jim Price of Raritan Borough and Jennifer Price of Clinton ― who were battling over the circumcision of their 3-year-old son, would appear on Monday, Dec. 4, 2000, in Superior Court in Somerville for a hearing ordered by the Supreme Court to determine whether the surgery should go forward, it was reported.
Dec. 6: In women’s college basketball, Rutgers University beat Virginia Tech, 61-53.
Dec. 7: It was reported Dave Keyes and his band, winners of the W.C. Handy National Blues Talent Search, would perform at Old Bay Restaurant in New Brunswick.
1975
Dec. 2, 1975: U.S. District Court Judge Frederick B. Lacey, sitting in Newark, issued the go-ahead for the planned public deer hunt scheduled for the next week in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Passaic Township.
Dec. 3: Many milk drivers continued on a “business as usual” basis in Middlesex and Somerset counties, in spite of a strike of 880 union drivers.
Dec. 4: Several homes in South Amboy were showered with kerosene after a United Airlines jet with 120 passengers on board jettisoned 40,000 gallons of fuel when an engine caught fire. The plane returned to Newark International Airport safely, with no injuries.
Dec. 5: In Elizabeth, Edward Nolan and Robert Madurski, defendants in a case involving the theft of $4 million worth of home heating oil from the Exxon Bayway Refinery in Linden, received suspended prison sentences and were fined $1,000 each.
Dec. 5-7: “Bye Bye Birdie” was presented at Middlesex County College Performing Arts Theater in Edison.
Dec. 6: In college basketball, Phil Sellers scored 36 points and Mike Dabney added 21 as Rutgers beat Seton Hall’s Pirates, 119-93, at Rutgers Gym in New Brunswick, setting a Rutgers Gym record for most points by one team.
1925
Dec. 2, 1925: In basketball, St. Peter’s Lyceum beat the Maroon and Gray quintet of South River, 36-27.
Dec. 2-3: The movie, “Thunder Mountain,” a dramatic story of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was shown at Reade’s Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.
Dec. 4-5: The movie, “The Half Way Girl,” starring Doris Kenyon and Lloyd Hughes, was shown at Reade’s Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.
Dec. 6: Fire of an unknown origin started in the south wing of Winants Hall on the Queens Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, for the second time within a month. Students helped firemen fight the fire.
Dec. 6: The New Brunswick Soccer Club won the first half championship in the Capital City Soccer League at Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick by beating the Highlanders of Trenton, 3-1.
Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com
New Jersey
Mom of NJ teen killed outside NYC ax-throwing bar claims booze, lax security led to her son’s death
Abundant booze and lax security set the stage for the fatal 2023 stabbing of a New Jersey high school football player outside an NYC ax-throwing bar, his mother contended in new court papers.
Rocco Rodden, 17, was knifed in the heart on Nov. 23, 2023 outside Live Axe in TriBeCa by Long Islander Gianluca Bordone, who admitted to the killing in court but was acquitted of manslaughter and assault charges in the case.
Rodden’s mother Angelina claimed Live Axe, security company Burns Consulting and others, including bartenders, promoters and a limousine company, set up a perfect storm the night her son was slain.
The companies “failed to provide wristbands to people old enough to drink” and “were required to check the identification documents of all individuals entering the venue, but failed to do so,” she said in her Nov. 21 Manhattan Supreme Court papers, which also name Bordone as a defendant.
The poor security also allowed Bordone, who was 19 at the time of the attack, to bring a pocket knife to the Lafayette Street bar, she alleged.
Bordone, of Oyster Bay, claimed he feared for his life as a group that included the victim chased him down the street and began beating him.
“I was afraid that they would get me to the floor, stomp me, kill me, hit me with the bottle that I had seen before,” he said on the witness stand, according to Newsday.
Bordone also allegedly stabbed Rodden’s older brother, Anthony, outside the bar — where all three were attending a private party, authorities had said.
“It is quite possible that Bordone could have killed Anthony Rodden due to his tortious conduct,” the mother said in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.
The promotors, security and others hired to work the event also failed to call authorities after the stabbing, she claimed.
Neither Bordone, nor Live Axe owner Zac Segal and promoter Ian Magid, who are each named in the lawsuit, could be reached for comment. A lawyer for security company Burns Consulting denied any wrongdoing.
“Many horrible tragedies do not result in legal liability and this is one of them,” said Burns Consulting attorney Kenneth Belkin. “My heart goes out to the family of Mr. Rodden for their loss, but this is a frivolous lawsuit against my client.
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