In Manchester's Cereal Wars, Needy Families Are The Big Winners

MANCHESTER, NJ -- While some students engage in Twitter fights and dance battles, there’s a group of Manchester Township High School students who can say they’ve won the Cereal War.

Through the combined efforts of the high school’s Key, Interact and Habitat for Humanity clubs, along with support from the Junior Interact clubs at the district’s three elementary schools and the Impact Club at Manchester Township Middle School, more than 1,500 boxes of Fruit Loops, Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes and Cheerios, among others were collected and donated to The People’s Pantry, which serves needy families in Toms River and beyond, said Joseph Gawlik, adviser of the Interact and Habitat for Humanity clubs.

“It was the most cereal they ever had at one time,” Gawlik said.

In addition to the cereal donation, Gawlik said Crossroads Realty and Oliverie Funeral Home, both of which are members of the Lakehurst-Manchester Rotary Club, donated more than $300 in combined donations to the pantry -- $1 for each box dropped off at their locations.

“The Lakehurst-Manchester Rotary Club has been a forever friend of the children of both Lakehurst and Manchester,” Gawlik said. “Each year they provide scholarships and funding for many other community service projects our students participate in.”

The community service clubs that participated in the project all are an official arm of Rotary International, Gawlik said.

“The Manchester Township School District regards service learning as a high priority in all of our schools,” he said. adding that the project received key support from Todd Shaw and George George DePremio from our Building and Grounds Department and from the district’s Transportation Department.

(Photos courtesy of Joseph Gawlik show the fruits of the Cereal Wars‘ fundraiser, which netted more than 1,500 boxes of cereal for The People’s Pantry. Tina Orth of Crossroads Realty and Geri Oliverie of Oliverie Funeral Home posed with the donated cereal before helping to deliver it to the pantry. Students who assisted in the delivery include Kyle Pecora, Syann Colon, Mary White, Christian Salisky, and Gianna Kennedy.)