Almost two weeks after Hurricane Sandy, and just days after a nor'easter hit Monmouth County, families still find themselves in need. We've seen the images of destruction, and the images of hope. So many residents have already dedicated their money and time to rebuildng towns such as Union Beach and Keyport, but there is still more to be done. Here are some ways you can help: Volunteer Beacon of Hope Center, Hazlet: The formerly vacant Childrens Wear storefront has been taken over and dubbed "The Beacon of Hope" by the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce by its members, who are behind it. …

Shortly after the winds and floods of Hurricane Sandy died down and the full gloomy picture of the devastation became known, local firehouses and churches and even a liquor store sprang up to collect donated goods for the storm victims.  But as word spread and the mountains of clothes grew, organizers began brainstorming a better, longer term solution. An offer was made to lend the empty Childrens Wear and Foodtown stores for 30-days, and the army of people volunteers moved in. Its been dubbed "The Beacon of Hope" by the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce members whose members are behind …

At the Jersey Shore, the Election Day routines were always simple; perhaps just a little bit hectic: Mothers and fathers dropped the kids off at school, went to work and, somehow, tried to fit voting in between. For years, and well into the 1990s, they went to their schools and recreation centers in Point Boro, Long Branch, Brick and elsewhere to pick candidates, using the old-fashioned machines with the tiny pull-down levers. The lever they usually pulled, just about two-thirds of the time, was for Republicans, right on down the line. The whole thing felt so hectic then, trying to squeeze in…

Gov. Chris Christie praised the National Guard's work in New Jersey during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and expects all power to be restored to the state by early Sunday. Christie spoke at a press conference on Thursday, flanked by members of the National Guard at an armory in Somerset.  Patch has made two calls to JCP&L and has yet to obtain reaction to the governor's statement. We will post that information once it becomes available. "I wanted to come here and thank these men and women as an example of the over 2,200 National Guardsmen I ordered activated in the prelude to Hurricane …

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Keansburg is offering the following: Hot meals on-site the parish-hall/soup-kitchen (located 247 Carr Avenue) daily from noon- 3 p.m. Food bank supplies Clothing (no further, non-specific donations accepted at present) The program is accepting donations of: Boots and coats, all genders/sizes Large size (3XX and 4XXX) women’s and men’s clothing Supermarket gift cards New socks and underwear, all genders/sizes (in the packages ONLY) Blankets Paper products (paper towels, bath/facial tissue) NOTE:  Additional assistance measures, e.g., local residence clean-up, are…

Gov. Christie told a gathering on Long Beach Island on Wednesday that the coming Nor'easter and anticipated snowfall would likely cause "a setback" in the work underway for full power restoration. Boy, he wasn't kidding. JCP&L, on its website, is acknowledging that the nor'easter has created new outages, often for customers who were hit with outages in the height of Sandy's destructive path, had power restored and are now in the cold darkness yet again. "Late Wednesday, heavy, wet snow and high winds from the nor'easter resulted in approximately 120,000 additional power outages in the Jersey …

The seventh annual Matawan Turkey Trot is canceled due to the ongoing recovery efforts in the wake of Sandy, according to Recreation Director Deirdre Ring. The 5K race was scheduled for Nov. 24, 2012. Any runners who preregistered will receive a refund. Anyone with questions may contact Ring at recreation@matawanborough.com.

NJ Transit will now offer emergency buses to local commuters from the Aberdeen-Matawan Train Station during rush hour free of charge. Beginning Friday, Nov. 9, the bus service will take commuters from the Aberdeen-Matawan Train Station to the Statue Cruise Lines ferries located at Liberty State Park. The ferry shuttles commuters between Liberty State Park and Battery Park. The buses will operate from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. to accomodate the morning and evening rush hour. NJ Transit personnel, including a bus dispatcher, will be at the train station. Both the bus and …

Hurricane Sandy brought many an adult in New Jersey to tears this past week. Imagine the fear and uncertainty weighing on a child displaced by the storm. And imagine this trauma coming at what should be the most joyous time of year. Freehold NJ Network for Success hopes to restore some sense of normalcy to the children affected by Hurricane Sandy with its third annual holiday toy drive to benefit the Jersey Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross. The networking group’s event will take place at the American Hotel in Freehold on Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. “Everybody knows somebody who was…

The Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, working in partnership with Raine Foundation and Chamber businesses, has established the Beacon of Hope Distribution Center to assist the residents of the Bayshore towns impacted by the Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy.   The NMCC Beacon of Hope Distribution Center began accepting donations of food and clothing on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 3106 Route 35, in the former Childrens Wear store at the Staples shopping center in Hazlet, NJ. Their Facebook page has contact information and updates about what they need.  The Center will be the hub for the food, clothing …

Small business owners who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy need to be on a conference call at 2 p.m. Thursday with state and federal officials, says the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), New Jersey Economic Development Authority and New Jersey Business Action Center senior officials will be on the conference call on the federal and state government's efforts to help small businesses and homeowners recover from the storm. "Officials will provide updates and answer questions about assistance and …

The Hazlet United Soccer Association will join forces with the Freehold Soccer League to serve a hot barbeque lunch Saturday at a Keyport Firehouse on First Street for storm-ravaged residents who could use a good, hot meal after the double wallop of Hurricane Sandy and the Wednesday night's nor'easter.  The privately-run soccer club based behind Hazlet's Veterans Park has pledged $1,000 to match Freehold League's $1,000 for the purchase of hot dogs, hamburgers, hot coffee and tea, and is asking its members to make donations of non-food needed goods.  "I would like to show our strong support …

Monmouth County’s distribution sites will close at 1 p.m. Wednesday in advance of a nor’easter set to hit the area. The three sites were set up throughout the county to assist in relief efforts from Hurricane Sandy. They are scheduled to re-open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8. The three distribution sites are as follows: Holy Family Church – 910 Route 36 Hazlet Monmouth Park – Oceanport Ave., Oceanport Peddler’s Village – (formerly known as the Circle Factory Outlet) 1407 Atlantic Ave., Wall The donation center set up at Thompson Park in Lincroft located at 805 Newman Springs Road will be …

There are currently 28,176 JCP&L customers without power in Ocean County and 45,836 without power in Monmouth County, according to an update on the JCP&L website. Those numbers change constantly as crews continue to work on outages throughout the region. However, the nor'easter starting to move into the area may cause new outages as well as coastal flooding, according to the National Weather Service. JCP&L, in a prepared statement, says: "Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) has restored power to more than 900,000 of the 1.2 million JCP&L customers affected by Hurricane Sandy, marking five …

Holmdel public schools will remain closed for the rest of the week, the district superintendent announced in a message Wednesday morning.  After consulation with the four school principals, there is an agreement that there will be no tests administered on the first day back to school.  Power has still not been restored to the public schools since Hurricane Sandy blew through more than a week ago and disrupted power lines. 

By interviewing line workers in utility trucks yesterday, Holmdel Mayor Patrick Impreveduto learned that a huge area of Holmdel -- from Crawfords Corner Road to the area west of Route 34 -- was supposed be back online yesterday.  But they encountered some kind of unexplained problem and the electricity was not restored, he said.  "It was supposed to be up and running last night," said the mayor today around 11 a.m. He said the trucks seen massing at Holmdel High School have been being dispatched to various locations in the township to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy, but if winds build in …

The Holmdel school district superintendent has announced that schools will be closed on Wednesday, said Holmdel Board of Education Vice President Robin Wetmore. A decision about opening on Thursday has not yet been announced, she said.  The Office of Emergency Management, the police chief and the schools' director of operation consult daily on whether to open. "It's not just a simple yes-no," said Wetmore. Today the team had to consider the readiness of the schools, the lack of power and the impending nor'easter which is predicted to bear down on the area Wednesday night into the Thursday.  …

Monmouth County Freeholder Director John P. Curley said he will send a letter to the state Board of Public Utilities today, asking for an investigation into JCP&L's post-Hurricane Sandy response.  Curley said he wants to know how many personnel and trucks JCP&L put to work following the forecasted storm. A week later, 26 percent of the county is still struggling without power, and temperatures in their homes are falling as a vicious nor'easter approaches.  "I think they've done a poor job of keeping the public informed," said the county executive outside the Keansburg Bolger School day …

Ten gasoline tankers protected by the National Guard were ordered into Monmouth County to deliver gasoline to stations that have power but no fuel, said Gov. Chris Christie at an afternoon press conference outside the Bolger School on Palmer Avenue in Keansburg today.  Christie wanted to assure nervous motorists that over 80,000 gallons of gasoline was coming out of Fort Dix, and the government was efforting to increase that number.  "We are not running out of gasoline. There is no supply shortage. What happened was, the pipeline and the refineries were down because we didn't have power. Now …

With many polling locations in Monmouth County and throughout the state changing due to the massive impact of Hurricane Sandy, some residents are finding themselves a little confused. The state of NJ is attempting to make things easier, by allowing residents to text 877877 with a full address, including town name and zip code, and a polling location will be texted back. Voters in 30 Monmouth County municipalities have had changes to their polling locations, according to the Monmouth County Clerk. In addition, the state is allowing residents who fled the state to vote electronically by email …