Farm to Table Fundraiser at The Ross Farm, Basking Ridge

On Saturday, September 30th, 2023, Community in Crisis (CIC) will host its signature fundraiser of the year, ‘Together We Can!’, a farm to table hosted at the beautiful Ross Farm in Basking Ridge. Black River Catering of Pottersville will offer delicious hors d’oeuvres and a selection of entrées, and Chef David Burke will make and provide desserts. Wine, beer, mocktails, and a magical setting will ensure that the evening will be a night to remember. After dinner, a live music performance will be offered by Christian Lopez, named Best Newcomer of Americana Fest 2015 by Rolling Stone. A silent auction and 50/50 raffle will also be available. The event is expected to attract more than 300 people from across Somerset County.

Proceeds from Together We Can! will allow CIC to provide youth a safe and substance-free drop-in center that they can call their own and where they can thrive. Proceeds will also offer adolescents and adults in recovery free programs, events and workshops to reengage with their community, find hope, health, and purpose. Tickets, ads and sponsorships are available at all levels of support by visiting www.communityincrisis.org/together.

Andi Williams, CIC’s Executive Director, added, “We are very excited to bring this event to our community. We’re a local nonprofit, working with local partners and businesses, helping local people. As more and more businesses and partners in this community have stepped forward to help make this event happen, our team and board of directors are humbled by the outpouring of support which helps us maximize our return and, therefore, our outreach, free programs and resources. I’d like to especially thank the Somerset County Parks Commission and The Ross Farm board of directors who have been supportive of CIC using the Ross Farm location, a gorgeous 60 acre property right in the heart of the Somerset Hills, from the very beginning. Also, we are deeply grateful to the Bradley Brew Project of Bradley Beach for their donation of all of their specialty beer, to Ken Rent for working with us so generously on the rentals, to Bernardsville Print Center for helping us out with the print assets, to Chef Bernie of Black River Catering for adding so many in-kind items to the menu, and to Chef David Burke for stepping forward to provide all the desserts. We have it on good authority that Chef David will also be attending so it will be a wonderful opportunity to meet our new neighbor and the new partner at the Bernards Inn! Tickets and sponsorships are still available, but we will need to close it down once we reach capacity.”

Substance use and misuse continues to be a serious condition that has an impact on the individual, their family members, school, work relationships, and more. In 2022, more than 109,000 individuals in the U.S. died of an opioid overdose with the 35-44 year old age group the hardest hit. Opioid use has become a pervasive problem throughout New Jersey impacting all racial, ethnic, age, and socioeconomic demographics.

Community in Crisis began in 2013 following the overdose deaths of two young adults in the Somerset Hills community. The organization, a coalition of community agencies, organizations, schools, churches and concerned citizens, offers bi-weekly support groups for families of loved ones struggling with substance use disorder, innovative educational opportunities in the school environment, peer recovery pop-up sites throughout the county, vaping education presentations, a ‘parent university’ series, sober social events and meetings, a youth leadership council, middle school Hub Club, and more.

For more information on this event, please contact Andi Williams at awilliams@communityincrisis.org

For more information or to get involved with CiC, please contact Community in Crisis at info@communityincrisis.org or go to www.communityincrisis.org.