In April of 2020, as the pandemic shutdown caused hardships for families everywhere, Jake Vazquez didn’t fully obey the government’s directive to stay home.

Instead, he got out and made a difference.

Then a sophomore at Woodbridge High School, Vazquez joined four seniors in launching the “Woodbridge Cares” initiative, which raised $20,000 by selling and hand-delivering 1,200 T-shirts and lawn signs. With that money they purchased gift cards from struggling local restaurants and stores, then turned the cards over to the St. James Food Pantry, which distributed them to area residents in need.

“The most remarkable thing about the whole experience was seeing all these lawn signs pop up around the neighborhood,” Vazquez said. “The more you drove around, the more you saw people supporting the cause. It was really touching to see all the support.”

Now a senior at Woodbridge who is headed to Princeton University in the fall, Vazquez is one of three recipients of the 2022 Marisa Tufaro Memorial Community Service Scholarship. The $1,000 awards are bestowed by the Marisa Tufaro Foundation, a nonprofit that assists pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

The foundation and scholarship’s namesake, Marisa Tufaro, was an Edison resident. Born with a complex cardiac defect that required six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant, she lived 13 inspirational years before succumbing in 2017 to a rare form of cancer following a valiant battle.

“It’s an honor,” Vazquez said. “I could not be prouder to represent Woodbridge and the Marisa Tufaro Foundation.”

Vazquez’s role in Woodbridge Cares was crucial: He mapped the routes for the drivers and helped make the deliveries. He didn’t even possess a driver’s license at the time; his mother Jennifer Vazquez was at the wheel. Together they made more than 200 deliveries over a period of several weeks.

“I’m not only proud of the group that put it together, but I’m proud of the community for coming together,” Jake said. “It really showed that in a time when the world was just in absolute chaos, the kindness was still there.”

Community service is in Vazquez’s blood. His grandmother, Linda Donnelly, runs the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas food-and-gifts drives for St. James Roman Catholic Church in Woodbridge. Jake has been helping out since he was a toddler, sorting cans as soon as he could walk.

“We pack up food and gifts for about 200 families,” he said.

“Jake has shown more commitment to people in need than anyone I know,” said Jason Merchan, a friend who works with him on St. James’ charitable projects.

Vazquez also is a member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, has volunteered with Special Olympics New Jersey and the Heroes and Cool Kids mentorship program. As a student at Woodbridge High, Vazquez posted a 4.2 grade point average. Ranked third in his graduating class, Vazquez is President of the National Honor Society. He has competed with the Future Problem Solvers of America, as well as in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad.

Vazquez served on the high school advisory board, working with the superintendent to discuss issues involving the student experience in the district. He recently received the Middlesex County Secondary Principals Association’s Outstanding Student Award.

He also was captain of the golf team. As a golfer, he was a three-time Greater Middlesex Conference all-division honoree.

“He is a positive role model for all at Woodbridge High School,” Barrons golf coach Matthew Gigliello said.

Next up is Princeton University, where Vazquez will major in aerospace engineering. He’d love to work at NASA or SpaceX one day. It’s a lofty goal, but so was raising $20,000 during a pandemic lockdown.

As he turns the page, Vazquez chose a telling quote to appear with his senior portrait in Woodbridge’s 2022 yearbook.

“It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing.”