Huge Payload Of Donations Collected At Turtle Back Zoo Event – Patch.com

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — More than 18 tons of food, clothes and toys were collected for in-need Essex County residents during the annual Holiday Lights Spectacular at the Turtle Back Zoo.

Every year, the zoo – which is located in West Orange – hosts a highly anticipated event featuring more than a million holiday lights. It’s free to look at the lights, but visitors are encouraged to bring a donation to help the less fortunate.

Over the 2021-2022 holiday season, a whopping 111,201 people came to get a glimpse of the zoo’s light display. Both the attendance and amount of items collected are the second-highest totals in the event’s 13-year history, county officials said.

According to county spokespeople:

“This past winter, 36,477 pounds – more than 18 tons – of non-perishable food was collected for the Community FoodBank of NJ. In addition, 196 bags of new toys and 265 bags of winter coats and clothing were collected. These items were donated to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office Toy Drive, Catholic Charities in Newark, Tainos Unidos LLC in Newark, Gabby’s Annual Holiday Toy Drive at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, the East Orange YMCA, JWBS in Morristown, NJ Performing Arts Center’s winter coat drive in Newark, The Salvation Army in Montclair and Newark, Toni’s Kitchen and St. Luke’s Food Pantry in Montclair, Milagro’s Angels in Newark and the Essex County Correctional Facility, which distributed toys to children who had a parent in the facility.”

Donations collected over the years have amounted to over 130 tons of non-perishable food, 345,000 toys and 20,000 winter coats.

The largest Holiday Lights Spectacular attendance was 131,594 people and the most donations collected was 24.5 tons, both coming in 2015.

“It is humbling to see the large number of items dropped off at the Holiday Lights Spectacular to assist the less fortunate,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“These donations show the generous spirit and caring that exists in our community and certainly helped make a difference during the holiday season to those who need assistance,” DiVincenzo said. “We offered free admission to the Holiday Lights as a way to give back to our residents and make the event available to everyone, and we thank our visitors for their extraordinary generosity to help the less fortunate.”

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