Dozens of high school golfers from the Greater Middlesex Conference will join The Marisa Tufaro Foundation in taking a swing at alleviating food insecurity.
More than 50 golfers from the league will participate in the third annual Tee Off Against Hunger on April 7 at TopGolf in Edison.
All donated food and proceeds from the event will benefit Hands of Hope for the Community, an Edison-based nonprofit committed to providing an efficient and centralized system for distributing food in Middlesex County to combat childhood and family hunger.
For a third consecutive year, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to assist pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area, is sponsoring the high school golfers, partnering with a generous benefactor to cover their full registration fee to participate in the event.
A fun tournament format within the event has been created to determine the Greater Middlesex Conference’s top golfers. Awards will be presented to girls and boys champions and runners up.
The high school golfers who participated in the previous two events added a much-welcomed positive competitive spirit and youthful exuberance, a vibe this year’s participants are expected to replicate.
“I think it’s awesome that these students will be participating in our third annual Tee Off Against Hunger, showing off their skills and participating to help raise some funds for us to continue to feed ones in need in Middlesex County,” said Middlesex County Commissioner Charles E. Tomaro, who serves as Hands of Hope for the Community’s president.
“It’s great to have the high schools (more than a dozen will be represented) there. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Participation in the Tee off Against Hunger includes more than two hours of golf, a hot lunch buffet, bottomless beverages, swag, and dozens of raffle prizes.
Last year’s top prizes included two tickets to a New York Yankees game, two tickets to a New Jersey Devils game, a foursome with lunch at the Metuchen Golf and Country Club, a three-month platinum TopGolf membership, restaurant gift certificates, gift baskets, and more.
Registration and check in for the Tee Off Against Hunger is 11:45 a.m. The event schedule features unlimited free play (noon to 2:30 p.m.), appetizers (12:30 p.m.), hot lunch buffet (1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.), and an awards ceremony (2:30 p.m.).
“Everybody that has come to the Tee Off Against Hunger truly enjoys it,” Tomaro said. “TopGolf is a fun place. You don’t have to be a good golfer to play. It’s open to everybody to come and enjoy the day. The food is great and we’ve got a lot of amazing giveaways, too.”
South River High School Athletics Director Carl Buffalino, who chairs the Greater Middlesex Conference boys golf committee, praised the scholastic golfers for taking part in the event.
“These guys and girls that play golf are hard-working and dedicated,” Buffalino said. “They are a great bunch to be around and work with. They are good people – all ladies and gentlemen – and they want to help a tremendous cause such as this. I’m extremely proud.”
John Canova, the head golf coach at J.P. Stevens, which joins township rival Edison as an unofficial host school for the Tee Off Against Hunger, said “it’s great to see” so many scholastic golfers participating in the third annual event.
“You get to see how all the teams work together to try to build that sense of community and family by really getting involved,” Canova said. “My golfers have a deep sense of pride in representing J.P. Stevens.”
Canova said The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s ability to collaborate with a generous benefactor to sponsor the high school golfers “adds up to a bigger event” benefiting the cause.
Founded in 1992, Hands of Hope for the Community operates out of St. James Church on Woodbridge Avenue in Edison with an all-volunteer staff to silence the pain hunger brings.
Hands of Hope for the Community is focused on sustaining good nutrition, health, and human dignity by providing a means for individuals in need to meet their full potential.
According to the latest data from Feeding America, more than 60,000 Middlesex County residents, including 12,000 children, are food insecure. On the heels of the pandemic, escalating fuel costs and rising inflation rates have exacerbated the issue.
Lacking sufficient food presents challenges for everyone, but the impacts on children are particularly devastating. Children who face hunger are more at risk for serious health conditions and more likely to be hospitalized. Children dealing with food insecurity also face academic challenges. When a child is hungry, they have difficulty concentrating in school and developing the necessary skills to flourish.
Hands of Hope for the Community partners with local food banks, churches, schools, and other organizations to provide meals, nutritious food, groceries, and additional resources for those in need. The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is among its partners.
Since its inception in July 2017, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated nearly $350,000 to fulfill its mission of assisting pediatric patients and underserved children throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
The nonprofit also has donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value.
In addition, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has awarded $29,500 in academic scholarships to 42 high school graduates who further the nonprofit’s mission and sent 20 elementary and middle school students to attend a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.
Marisa Tufaro survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old.
Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, Marisa Tufaro was an Edison Township Public Schools honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities who lived a vibrant life that inspired.
As student council vice president at James Monroe Elementary School in Edison, Marisa Tufaro joined her classmates to collect nonperishable food items to donate to Hands of Hope for the Community.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s leadership is eternally grateful to all the student-athletes for sacrificing a Sunday afternoon to partake in the event, as well as their coaches and families for providing support.
Previous Tee Off Against Hunger events each featured nearly 130 participants and generated a total of more than $70,000 for Hands of Hope for the Community.
Those unable to attend this year’s event but who would still like to make a monetary donation to Hands of Hope for the Community can do so at https://www.hohnj.org/get-involved/donate-funds.