Meet Glen Rock And Ridgewood's 'Hometown Heroes'

HACKENSACK, NJ — U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer has been honoring those who provided aid to their neighbors during the pandemic through social media for much of the last year. Recently, he was able to meet some of them in person.

Gottheimer hosted the 5th District Hometown heroes Ceremony at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center on Friday, where he presented over 60 residents of the district with the award for "their dedication to helping improve the lives of their neighbors, families, and communities."

"We are lucky to have so many unsung heroes in our communities, whose quiet power of service goes on every day without the recognition they truly deserve. They just do it because they care. Today is their day," said Gottheimer.

"It goes without saying that the past nearly year and a half has been an incredibly challenging time for our country — with a pandemic looming over us, sick loved ones and neighbors, and a drumbeat of economic uncertainty. If you pick up the paper, turn on cable news or flip through social media, there is far more attention being placed on what's going wrong with America, and far too little attention on what’s going right. We should focus more on what unites us, as opposed to what divides us — and spend more time focusing on those who give back to our country and communities."

Watch the ceremony below:

Among those receiving recognition were Lisa Bufalini-Saavedra, of Glen Rock and Dawn Cetrulo, of Ridgewood. The Ridgewood Feed the Frontlines Program, as well as the Bergen County Food Security Task Force, also won the award.

Here's a bit about each of them, from the congressman's office:

Dawn Cetrulo

The Director of the Ridgewood Department of Health who has handled the responsibility of maintaining the health and safety of her community with great dedication and pride. She ensured that Ridgewood was able to promptly establish a vaccine clinic, helped her community maintain schooling throughout the pandemic, and constantly kept residents informed on developments and updated guidance.

Ridgewood Feed the Frontlines

What began in March 2020 with $100,000 in private donations to purchase 8,000 meals from Ridgewood restaurants to feed Valley Hospital frontline workers, expanded through a $1 million NJEDA grant for Ridgewood’s Feed the Frontlines to manage a schedule of 20 restaurants cooking meals, coordinate 400 volunteer drivers, and provide 1,200 meals a day to hospitals, first responders, and food pantries. Honored with the award were: Stacey Antine, Jeanne Johnson, Jennifer Williams, Joan Groome, Karen Hughes, Paul Vagianos, David Warshaw, Scott Lief, & the Bergen County Food Security Task Force.

Lisa Bufalini-Saavedra

The founder of Glen Rock Angels Feeding Oasis, an organization that stepped up throughout the pandemic to serve more than 29,000 meals to those in need. She also coordinated and recruited more than 200 volunteers to join this effort.

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