Team Effort Brings Lots Of Toys, Joy To Kids In Asbury Park

ASBURY PARK, NJ – Players from the Jersey Shore's Catholic Ice Hockey Team scored a win this Christmas with generous donations of toys to the Mercy Center in Asbury Park.

Catholic Ice Hockey includes team members from Red Bank Catholic High School of Red Bank, Donovan Catholic High School of Toms River and St. Rose High School of Belmar.

The players donated 217 toys for the Mercy Center Christmas toy drive to benefit local families.

The team’s participation was the idea of teammate Connor Harms, a 17-year-old junior at Red Bank Catholic. He is from Wall and he volunteered at the Mercy Center Food Pantry this summer.

He said he went to his coach to tell him about the Mercy Center and how he wanted to start a toy drive for Christmas.

"We decided if each teammate could buy a few toys, it could help. Some guys bought over 20 toys. It just felt good,” said Connor.

And it added a greater feeling of community for the team.

“The toy drive brought our team closer together. We are all from different schools, and the drive formed a bond with us. The team was all in,” he said.

Kim Guadagno, New Jersey's former lieutenant governor, is the Mercy Center executive director.

“When you meet these kids, there is no doubt that they get it. Mercy Center is extremely
grateful for this donation and for the Catholic Ice Hockey Team family. These toys will put smiles on the faces of children that need to feel the true spirit of the holidays," Guadagno said.

More than 22 players came in person to the Mercy Center, wearing their team jerseys with toys in hand to donate the toys.

The toys included everything kids would like - from footballs, basketballs, board games, a Razor Stark Kick Scooter, trucks that climb, Star Wars figures, action figures, dinosaurs that roar, and many dolls and stuffed animals, including the Grinch.

And the team made a pledge to return for next year’s toy drive.

Meanwhile, you can still donate toys to help local kids this year.

Donations of unwrapped toys are still being accepted through Friday, Dec. 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1106 Main St., Asbury Park.

You can also make a donation through the Mercy Center website that will be used to purchase gift cards for older children. And you can also go to Mercy Center’s Amazon Wishlist.

The nonprofit Mercy Center, based in Asbury Park, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1986, helps people facing socio-economic challenges realize their full potential, with a special emphasis on women and children. Its goal is to break the cycle of poverty with kindness, compassion and understanding, the organization says.

It is a hub for many services for the community.

Mercy Center offers emergency services, for example, including food at its pantry, which is open all day, every weekday. Mercy Center also provides clothing and utilities assistance to help sustain families facing financial difficulties, the organization says.

Its Family Resource Center is a “one-stop-shop” for resources, referrals, advocacy, counseling, and behavior modification services. The Family Resource Center offers group, virtual and individual counseling to help families maintain healthier lives and relationships.

Then there is the Mercy Center’s Sisters Academy of New Jersey, a middle school for girls grades five through eight.

To learn more about Mercy Center or to donate, visit www.mercycenternj.org.