Dining on surf and turf, dancing to the Docs of Rock, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and an incredible silent auction are among the show-stopping reasons to join Lunch Break at its 35th anniversary party of the year — the Fall Gala on Friday, October 26 at the Battleground Country Club in Manalapan.
The Rev. Terrence Rosheuvel, retired pastor of St. Thomas Episcopal Church of Red Bank, Sawtooth Group and Heritage House Sotheby’s International Realty will be the honorees. Honorees will be recognized for their outstanding service and commitment to the Red Bank organization’s mission of freely providing life’s basic necessities of food, clothing and fellowship for residents of Monmouth County and beyond, while guiding families and individuals in need to self-sufficiency and healthier, more productive lifestyles.
The Fall Gala takes place from 6:30-11 p.m.
“We are proud to honor such distinguished volunteers for their continued service to Lunch Break,” says Executive Director Gwendolyn Love. “I am truly humbled by their dedication to our mission and express our gratitude for their contribution to Lunch Break’s legacy.”
The Fall Gala awards and honorees:
The Norma Todd Service Award, the Rev. Terrence W. Rosheuvel
The Heart to Hand Award, Sawtooth Group
Corporate Platinum Partner Award, Heritage House Sotheby’s International Realty
The Rev. Terrence Rosheuvel
The Rev. Terrence W. Rosheuvel, along with founder Norma Todd, was among the first members of the grass-roots committee to organize Lunch Break. He retired as rector from St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Red Bank in 2010, after nearly 30 years of service.
The Rev. Rosheuvel has a long history of mentoring to Lunch Break.
In 1983, while he was rector of St. Thomas, the parish was host for the fledgling Lunch Break, a soup kitchen and food pantry for many months until it was incorporated as a non-profit. “It was among one of only things the Board agreed on unanimously,” he says.
Rosheuvel was Lunch Break’s first president of the Board. And as Lunch Break expanded over the years to include more social service programs, he continued to support the cause both spiritually and philosophically.
He and his wife, Maylene, have three grown children, Gillian, Janis and Stephen.
In the book “Loaves and Fishes: The Lunch Break Story,” published in 1988, the Rev. Rosheuvel explains what he refers to as “the Lunch Break experience.” He writes: “Lunch Break — and indeed anything that genuinely brings people together – has a value far greater than its size or it’s almost accidental history might suggest. It represents the hope that we can re-humanize our society and begin to reestablish the social values that have all but disappeared.”
His legacy at Lunch Break reinforces his commitment to “the experience.”
Sawtooth Group
Passion. It’s what fuels Sawtooth.
Founded in 1988 and located in Red Bank, N.J., Sawtooth is an independently owned, full-service agency focused on consumer products and services with a special passion for the health and wellness space. The core services include Brand Positioning and Identity, Research, Strategy, Narrative Building, Creative Ideation, Media Planning and Buying, Content Production, Community Management, and Experiential.
In November 2017, President and CEO Kristi Bridges, a 20-year Sawtooth veteran and a member of the Lunch Break Board of Trustees, purchased the agency and, she says: “We are proud to be a WBENC (Certified Woman-Owned Business).”
But making brands irresistible isn’t all that matters to Sawtooth. “The company also is extremely passionate about giving back to wonderful local places like Lunch Break,” Kristi says.
Inspired by volunteering and community service, philanthropy is a standard operating procedure at Sawtooth, she says.
As for Sawtooth’s commitment to Lunch Break, Kristi explains: “When we moved to this great community, we immediately knew that we wanted to get involved and give back. I visited Lunch Break and got such a great feeling from the people and the mission and then I met a woman appropriately named Gwen Love (executive director). And the rest is history.”
She continues,” Sawtooth started volunteering at Lunch Break but I saw an opportunity to do more, so I joined the Board. I soon recognized that not everyone knew that Lunch Break existed and those who did had different ideas of what it was about. That’s when we started the marketing committee to tell the amazing, important story in a consistent and compelling way.”
Heritage House Sotheby’s International
Heritage House Sotheby’s International Realty is an independently owned and operated full-service real estate firm founded in 1990, with a corporate office in Shrewsbury, N.J., and four sales office in Holmdel, Middletown, Rumson and Shrewsbury. Mary Burke is the president, owner and broker of record. The firm is recognized for its well-deserved reputation of top-notch sales associates, most of whom are lifelong residents in the area who stand ready to meet all the real estate needs of their clients and the philanthropic needs of their communities.
In 2005, the firm affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty. Currently the brand has more than 21,000 sales associates in more than 930 offices in 69 countries and territories worldwide.
For many years, Heritage House Sotheby’s local offices have supported Lunch Break through Fall Gala sponsorships and clothing and pantry donations.
“We are honored and humbled to have been selected as this year’s Corporate Platinum Partner Award recipient,” Mary says. “I learned as a young girl that when you give you receive back two-fold. I have never wavered from my personal commitment to giving back and I am proud to say that as a company, Heritage House Sotheby’s International Realty is committed to giving back as well. Our mission is not only to impact the communities we serve with extraordinary customer service but to impact the communities we live in with unwavering support to those in need.”
For Information about sponsorships and to reserve your ticket for Lunch Break’s Fall 2018 Gala contact Jill Govel-Gwydir (732) 747-8577, Ext. 3107 jgwydir@lunchbreak.org.
Lunch Break, accepts donations online at www.lunchbreak.org or at its headquarters, 121 Drs. James Parker Blvd. Follow Lunch Break on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Give local, stays local. #whywebreak