Craft Fair In Barnegat To Benefit Retreat For Homeless Veterans

BARNEGAT, NJ — A craft fair in Barnegat on Saturday kicks off fundraising for Jeff’s Camp, a transitional housing facility that will one day serve homeless veterans in the local area.

Over 30 vendors will be coming from all over the state for the fair at 308 Route 72 (the property on the corner of County Road 532 and Route 72) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., where people can learn more about Jeff’s Camp and donate to the facility’s building fund.

In May, Barnegat resident Marty Weber signed a letter of intent to donate 36 acres of wooded property along Route 72 to be dedicated as Jeff’s Camp, a transitional housing facility for veterans struggling with addiction and mental illness.

The vision for Jeff’s Camp includes an 8,000-square-foot building, which would have a treatment facility and a thrift store run by Just Believe, a nonprofit that helps homeless people in Ocean County. The thrift store would employ the veterans living on the property.

“When you have other veterans with other veterans, they tend to talk about things that they won’t talk about with me or even counselors,” said Paul Hulse, director of Just Believe. “They understand each other and can help each other.”

Hulse said any money raised will help pay for the engineers, architects and permits needed to start the project by October. They hope to break ground by summer of 2022.

People can make donations to Jeff’s Camp at the Just Believe table at Saturday's craft fair or online.

“The community is responding to what we’re doing, so it’s really exciting. It’s another avenue to fundraise and raise awareness, and just get people involved,” Hulse said.

The next fundraiser for the project is a golf outing on Aug. 9 at Trump National Golf Club in Monmouth County, which features a dinner, silent auction and 50/50 raffle.

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