On Sunday, February 1, 2015 Washington Township celebrated its twentieth anniversary of the Helping Hands Hoagie Sale (HHHS). The proceeds of this fundraiser go to the families who have sick loved ones with serious medical problems.

The Helping Hands Hoagie Sale is not an easy preparation by any means. The advisors begin preparing for the massive event during the Gift Giving that takes place throughout our district in December. Mr. Lucarini, the main advisor of the event, begins contacting the vendors and recipients throughout December. The HHHS hits full swing directly after winter vacation.

Advertisements for the HHHS take place in various forms. A lot of people in our township promote the sale via Facebook. They also send out massive email blasts, set up posters around our schools, and display over 160 signs around our district. Yet it’s evident that word of mouth is the most efficient way to promote the sale. The sale also received prominent coverage by local media.

Over 350 people help in the manufacturing portion of the sale. This year over 250 people helped out at Orchard Valley Middle School, and over a 100 people at WTHS. Orchard Valley Middle School has the highest level of participation among its students and teachers. Washington Township is also known for its great efforts in charity work and community service.

“I think the hoagie sale has such a strong impact and appeal to my community because the people know that they are helping families in need,” said Maria Forte ’17.

The expected income for the sale was originally $40,000. This year alone the sales raised $53,000, yet they still have bills coming in.

The week before the sale got kicked into high gear. In December there were originally six recipients designated to benefit from the proceeds of the sale. By the time the sale was underway there were over 20. (The families that are in need of help are mostly suggested by our school’s staff, and parents within the district.)

HHHS also helps pay for a lot of the hidden costs which families experience, are not covered by some insurances. Expenses such as tolls, gas, loss of income, etc.

The amounts given to each recipient varies. “Most of the situations we deal with involve cancer. One of the recipients was Tony Bucca, a high school math teacher, who passed away in during the sale. We contributed money to the family to assist with the funeral costs,” Lucarini stated.

This year HHHS teamed up with Kennedy Hospital and other businesses and organizations that sponsored various aspects of the sale. Kennedy sponsored the remote sales where our students sell from street corners around the township at various strategic sites. Next year, HHHS is planning on teaming up with Kingsway Regional High School, located in Woolwich Township.

“This year we were over there, and we raised a lot of money,” Lucarini says.    

This year’s sale set a record for funds raised. Last year they made more hoagies, but over 300 weren’t sold. Luckily, this year ran more smoothly.

The ingredients for the hoagies come from three main sources. Duffield’s Farm Market provides the sale with vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, and onions. Duffield’s also sells the vegetables at cost, and they store the products for no charge. Deluxe Italian Bakery Inc., located in Runnemede, gives the rolls that are used for the hoagie. Carmen’s Cold Cuts, located in Belmar, provides the cheese and meat for the hoagie.

The butcher at Carmen’s Cold Cuts had to raise the price this year. He said that the amount of cheese that is sliced often breaks the slicers. So the butcher proposed a small fundraiser called “Cutting the Cheese”. The parents of former recipients got together with Mr. Gorski and Mr. Doud and cut over eleven hundred pounds of cheese.

The HHHS was originally thought up by a young group of students. Lucarini said, “The idea for the hoagie sale was a combination of a group of about ten kids collaborating on ideas to improve the school climate through participation in community service. My wife and I hosted the kids at our house for a few hours and implemented the idea.” As a result of those meetings a number of fundraisers grew, and they are still apart of the Washington Township’s community’s service efforts

Today, the HHHS is still running strong and growing each and every year. Students come back and help out, while others begin to take part in the event. Jon Ratcliffe, a former graduate of WTHS says, “This is my 6th year doing the sale and I just love the experience of coming together with old teachers after I graduated, and helping a good cause.”

The Cow Project and Future Acts help out in about four of these fundraising events, including HHHS. These groups continue to generate new ideas all the time.

This upcoming Spring, our seniors are going to participate in something like the show Shark Tank, on ABC. Just like the show, each of the seniors participating in the event will present an idea for community service and fundraising. The student that wins will then receive an award, and his idea will then becomes one of that years fundraisers.