The Shauger Group Makes Holidays Brighter for Families in Need

by Alexandra Gakos

There is no question that 2020 has been a long, challenging year for all of us. Now more than ever, families are in need of support—support that will help them get through one of the most difficult periods of their lives. In times like these, kindness matters more than ever.

While philanthropy and service are integral to The Shauger Group’s (TSG’s) company mission year round, TSG made an extra effort to give back this holiday season in particular. With countless individuals and charities in desperate need of help due to COVID-related struggles, TSG made it a priority to focus on charity and to spread joy during the 2020 holiday season.

“This year has been exceptionally tough for everyone, so we wanted to do whatever we could as a company and as a family to help people who needed it,” said Lisa Shauger, president/CEO of TSG. “COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our lives and put stress on families all year long. Families deserve a break from their struggles—an opportunity to forget about the pressures they’re facing and instead find a bright spot that lets them live in the moment and celebrate the joy of the season. We are fortunate to be in a position to make the holidays brighter for people in our community.”

For the 14th year in a row, the Shauger family and TSG continued their yearly tradition of bringing Christmas cheer to residents of the Apostles’ House, a homeless shelter for women and children in Newark. As in past years, TSG and the Shaugers donated gifts to the shelter’s residents so that they would have something special to open on Christmas morning. As part of the donation effort, TSG also teamed up with East Hanover’s Classic Café Management again this year to provide a full continental breakfast for the Apostles’ House families to eat on Christmas morning.

“It means so much to us to know the women and children of the Apostles’ House had something to look forward to on Christmas morning,” said Donald Shauger, executive vice president of TSG. “Paying it forward to help the Apostles’ House families—particularly during the holiday season—matters very much to me. My mother was devoted to the Apostles’ House while she was alive: having raised five children on her own as a single parent, she related to the struggles faced by the families, and the Apostles’ House always had a special place in her heart. I will always remain dedicated to making the lives of the Apostles’ House families better.”

“The Apostles’ House does a lot to help at-risk families, including providing safe haven from homelessness and domestic abuse—the types of tough situations that have been even tougher for families during the pandemic,” added Lisa Shauger. “The work of the Apostles’ House, as well as other organizations that provide shelter and relief, has become increasingly important in this time of global crisis. The families have entrusted the Apostles’ House with their safety during these uncertain times, and we hope our act of kindness helps them feel an extra level of comfort and support at the same time.”

In another effort to give back this holiday season, TSG teamed up with SUEZ to donate Target gift cards to families in need in Orange. The December gift card donation by TSG and SUEZ, who frequently partner with each other on philanthropic projects, occurred only a few weeks after the two companies donated Thanksgiving turkey dinners to local families.

TSG also made several donations to charitable organizations for the holidays. TSG made a donation to the Giblin Association, a nonprofit civic organization founded in 1954 by the late state senator John Giblin and continued today by Thomas P. Giblin, New Jersey’s 34th legislative district assemblyman. TSG’s donation to the Giblin Association, which supports cultural and community organizations throughout New Jersey, was made in the name of Donald’s mother, Laura. Earlier in December, Donald was recognized by the Giblin Association as the 2020 Community Service Business Award honoree at their 29th Annual Community Service Awards and Charity Breakfast.

TSG’s holiday donations also included a donation to the Believe in Newark Foundation, a nonprofit charity founded in 2014 to improve the lives of Newark residents by providing resources and support to create social, recreational, cultural, and educational advancement opportunities. The Believe in Newark Foundation teamed up with the City of Newark, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, the New Jersey Devils, the Newark Bronze Shields, the Vulcan Pioneers, and Newark Central Ward Councilwoman LaMonica McIver on December 20 to host the City of Newark’s 2020 Season of Giving Toy Giveaway. Over 1,000 resident Newark families with children 12 years old and under registered online ahead of time; then, on the day of the event, residents picked up their free holiday toys. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, toys were prepackaged before the event and then distributed in a “grab-and-go” setup.

The Shaugers made a $10,000 end-of-the-year donation to the Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship, a scholarship Donald and Lisa Shauger established in 2014 in memory of their friend, former West Orange police officer Timothy Groves. The Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship is part of the West Orange Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3) charity that has awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships to more than 1,600 students since its 1923 founding. The Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship distributes need-based scholarships to community service–oriented West Orange students each year in memory of Officer Groves, who passed away in 2013 from cancer. To date, 49 West Orange students have been awarded the Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship, most recently in June 2020.

TSG served as a sponsor of the annual East Orange Toy Caravan Giveaway, hosted by the City of East Orange, East Orange Mayor Ted Green, and the East Orange Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs to benefit families in need. The City’s goal was to raise $10,000 to provide 500 families with holiday gifts at the event, which took place on December 19. Other sponsors included the New York Giants, East Orange General Hospital, and the East Orange Departments of Public Safety, Public Works, and Code Enforcement. TSG made its donation in memory of Mayor Green’s father, Theodore R. Green, Sr., who passed away in November.

TSG also made a donation to the West Orange Adopt-a-Grandparent program, which provided holiday presents to seniors in the West Orange community. As a result of donations made by many individuals and organizations, more than 150 gift bags were distributed to residents of long-term care facilities and group homes. The event was spearheaded by Sal A. Jensen, who, in a post to the West Orange 07052 Facebook group, thanked the community of West Orange for their generosity and support: “So many lives that have had such a difficult year were made brighter for a moment. It was truly a labor of love and grace.”

Also in the holiday spirit, the Shauger family—Lisa and Donald, along with their children Marisa and Donnie—donated a new sound system and video equipment to Our Lady of Lourdes R. C. Church, a Roman Catholic Church in West Orange. Our Lady of Lourdes is special to the Shaugers: it was the local neighborhood church when Lisa and Donald grew up in West Orange, and they were also married there in 1985. Because of the Shaugers’ special tie to the church, the Shaugers and TSG have dedicated themselves to helping the parish over the years, from performing the parish’s landscaping and snow plowing services to doing countless other projects, such as parking lot repairs, staircase repairs, sidewalk replacements, installations of ADA-compliant entrances, and drainage projects. TSG and the Shauger family’s long history of supporting the church also includes a 2003 renovation of the church’s grotto, which was a gift from the Shauger and Aufiero families, and a 2018 refurbishment of the church bells, which was a gift from the Shauger family when Donald Shauger served as the 2018 grand marshal of the West Orange St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

TSG and the Shauger family continued their giving spirit by sponsoring a Christmas celebration continental breakfast at the James A. Degnan House of West Orange on December 22. TSG and the Shaugers sponsored the meal in support of Our Lady of Lourdes R. C. Church’s initiative to help the residents of the Degnan House, which is a low-income housing community for senior citizens. Revered Jim Ferry, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, thanked TSG and the Shaugers for their “outstanding support” in covering the full cost of the meal.

“I am very grateful for the support of Donald and The Shauger Group for this recent Christmas-celebration breakfast at the Degnan House of West Orange,” said Father Ferry. “Thank you again for all you do for West Orange, for Our Lady of Lourdes, and our region.”

With so many individuals, families, organizations, and communities facing tough times in 2020, TSG and the Shauger family were honored to spread kindness during this joyful time of year.