Join Us for a Picnic in the Park on October 8!

October 8 Update - See you in the park today! (No rain plans needed.)

Neighborhood Beacon is inviting one and all to join in our brown bag event Saturday, October 8 from 12:00-2 PM, in the following towns: Maplewood/South Orange, Berkeley Heights/New Providence, and Long Hill Township. Beacon members and residents will gather in a green space in each locale to share food and fellowship over a picnic that each individual and family brings.

Suggested donations: $10 per person or $25 per family. 100% of the funds will go to support local businesses and disadvantaged residents of each town. It's a great opportunity to learn more about Neighborhood Beacon, put a dent in food insecurity, and connect with some new folks!

If you would like to attend one of these events, click on the DONATE button now! Be sure to choose your community from the drop-down menu.

If you’d like to organize a picnic in your own town, please email Stephanie Faison at stephanie.faison@gmail.com.

Neighborhood Beacon Announces Location of Long Hill Picnic in the Park October 8

Come one, come all, to the Matthew G. Kantor Memorial Park to share a brown bag picnic with neighbors and friends on Saturday, October 8, from noon to 2pm. The picnic will take place in the pavilion next to one of the soccer fields, and stretch along the grassy area all the way to the restroom building, which is adjacent to the second soccer field. The address is 915 Valley Road in Gillette, just a few feet away from Berkeley Heights.

Set as a fundraiser for Neighborhood Beacon, a program of the Unitarian Universalist church Beacon in Summit, 100% of the proceeds from the picnic will go to support local businesses in Long Hill, Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Maplewood and South Orange, and residents who are experiencing food insecurity in those same towns. We invite everyone from the communities named above to attend and share in the fellowship of breaking bread together.

“We chose Matthew G. Kantor Memorial Park for the picnic site because it’s an exciting family place to be on Saturdays,” said Neighborhood Beacon organizer, Stephanie Faison of Millington. “On October 8th, both soccer fields will be humming with games for our young athletes, and it will be so much fun to pack a lunch and hang together around the fields. I hope we have a tremendous turn-out.”

(Rain date: October 9)

Neighborhood Beacon began with the pandemic in April 2020. Since then, thousands of dollars have been invested in gift cards purchased from local businesses which helped owners keep their doors open. Those gift cards were distributed by our charitable partners to families and individuals who are struggling to put food on the table every day. The impact on our towns has been very important.