Spreading the word

Walker said most young people find out about The Hub by word of mouth.

“Friends tell another friend, and the word gets out,” she said.

Gianna Garrett, 18, works at The Hub and is a member of Salvation and Social Justice’s Junior Street Team.

“We go out in the community and try to bring people to The Hub and help with anything they need,” she said, “like talk to them, feed them, play games with them and make sure they’re okay.”

Some kids come in nervous and distant, Garrett said.

“You’ve got to give them space, but they come around,” she added.

Junior Street Team member Jathusan Reid, 17, said he helps to recruit newcomers and shows them around The Hub.

“I just love making people feel great about themselves and uplifting people,” he said.

Reid also helps to enforce The Hub’s rules.

“Cuss words are not tolerated,” he said. “This young generation, they do tend to cuss a lot. So if they cuss, they have to do 10 pushups, jumping jacks or squats. Nothing too harsh. But if it does get out of hand, we have to send them home.”

Garrett said The Hub has a lot to offer.

“It helps kids that have problems at home, that need someone to listen to their situations. We’re always here for them,” she said. “I used to be here and feel sad and stuff, but now it’s really fun.”

A massive 8-foot python was found in a New Jersey backyard. 

The 40-pound snake is now safely back in a cage, but not before it gave residents in Freehold a scare. 

The snake was spotted last week in the backyard of Leslie and Edward Daley. It was slithering slowly, with a full belly. 

“I was watering my flowers last Friday around 4 and I saw something yellow moving very slowly across the front of my shed. And then his tail was 8 feet behind him,” Freehold resident Leslie Daley said. 

Catching the Burmese python got tricky when it crawled under a shed. A local contractor had to remove the flooring and, on Sunday, Scott Crawford with the Monmouth County SPCA gently pulled the snake to safety. 

“At that point, you now, I was safe to grab the head, pick him up, and get him into a transport carrier,” Crawford said. 

X-rays revealed the python had eaten a large possum, explaining its full belly. 

Officials believe the snake was someone’s pet and was likely released on purpose. 

“Obviously, this was an incredibly stressful event for this animal. This is not a native species to New Jersey. So it was likely someone’s pet,” Dr. Samantha Mammen of the Monmouth County SPCA said. 

Animal experts say exotic pets do not belong in the wild, and releasing them puts not only the animal itself in danger, but also nearby domestic pets. 

“If you are the owner of an animal like this and you’ve decided you cannot take care of it anymore, reach out to your local shelter,” Crawford said. 

A snake expert with the proper reptile permits and housing is now caring for the python.