GMC golfers Tee Off Against Hunger with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to benefit Hands of Hope for the Community

Dozens of high school golfers will join The Marisa Tufaro Foundation in taking a swing at alleviating food insecurity.

In addition to participating in the second annual Tee Off Against Hunger on April 16 at TopGolf in Edison, some of the nearly 60 boys and girls golfers from the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) committed to the event are working with teammates to collect nonperishable food items for donation.

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 second consecutive year, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to help 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.

Tickets include three hours of golf, a complimentary event T-shirt, a hot lunch buffet, bottomless fountain soda, iced tea and water.

One of the Tee Off Against Hunger’s organizers will create a fun tournament format within the event to determine the GMC’s top golfers.

“I think it’s awesome that these students will be participating in our (second annual) Tee Off Against Hunger event at TopGolf, 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.”

Tomaro said the event, which is expected to draw more than 150 participants, will also feature raffle prizes. They include a foursome with lunch at the Metuchen Country Club, a three-month platinum membership to TopGolf, and two tickets to a New Jersey Devils game.

South River High School Athletics Director Carl Buffalino, who chairs the GMC boys golf committee, praised the high school 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.”

Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen set the tone for the upcoming event, partnering with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to conduct a food drive and fundraiser in advance of the Tee Off Against Hunger last month to benefit Hands of Hope for the Community.

Through its Campus Ministry, Saint Joseph collected nonperishable food items for an entire week, while simultaneously conducting a fundraising raffle for Hands of Hope for the Community in which six student winners received free entry, courtesy of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, to the Tee Off Against Hunger.

Saint Joseph’s efforts generated $600, as well as bags of canned goods and other nonperishable food items for donation to Hands of Hope for the Community.

“I want to congratulate and thank all the high schools in Middlesex County for stepping up in support of Hands for Hope for the Community and addressing the growing issue of childhood and family hunger,” Saint Joseph High School President John Nolan III said.

“For those of us who are fortunate to eat three meals a day and snack at our pleasure, we take for granted that food is readily accessible. That is not the case for all families and children. I am especially proud of the students at Saint Joseph High School for not only participating in the Tee Off Against Hunger, but for going the extra mile by conducting a food drive and fundraiser in collaboration with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

“Service to others is part of Saint Joe’s culture and it is something our students are introduced to the minute they step on campus. I am not at all surprised that our young men would go above and beyond to assist those in need. That’s the Saint Joe’s way in action.”

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 second 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 golfers “adds up to a bigger event.”

Since its inception in July 2017, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated more than a quarter of a million dollars 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 $26,500 in academic scholarships to 38 high school graduates.

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 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 high school golfers who participated in last spring’s inaugural Tee Off Against Hunger added a much-welcomed positive competitive spirit and youthful exuberance to the event, a vibe this year’s participants are expected to replicate.

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.

GMC President Mike Pede, GMC Executive Director Frank Noppenberger and GMC girls golf committee chairman CJ Hendricks will attend the Tee Off Against Hunger for a second consecutive year.

Those unable to make the event but wishing to donate directly to Hands of Hope for the Community, can do so at https://www.hohnj.org/donate.