Upon receiving an invitation to represent Woodbridge High School in the Tee Off Against Hunger fundraiser benefiting Hands of Hope for the Community, Luke Vazquez wanted to do more than participate in the event.
The senior student-athlete worked with his family, creating a social media post to collect donations for the nonprofit, which distributes food to Middlesex County residents in need.
Generous neighbors dropped nonperishable food items off at the Vasquez residence and filled the family’s Venmo account with $500, all of which were donated to Hands of Hope for the Community during its April 7 fundraiser at TopGolf in Edison.
During an awards ceremony which concluded the event, Vazquez presented a check to Middlesex County Commissioner Charles E. Tomaro, who serves as Hands of Hope for the Community’s president.
“What a remarkable young man to come up with that idea and then raise the food and money to help us,” Tomaro said. “It’s always great to have those types of young people support us.”
With 1 in 8 state residents being food insecure, Tomaro said the number of families Hands of Hope for the Community serves is “starting to skyrocket again,” so the support from the Vazquez family and others who participated in the April 7 fundraiser will have a profound impact.
While Luke and his family may have been surprised and humbled by the incredible generosity of the Woodbridge community, which is renowned for its kindness, the benevolence of Luke and his family came as no surprise to Barrons’ golf coach Matt Gigliello.
“They are a first-class family and Luke is well-respected around school,” Gigliello said. “He is a great student and one of my top four golfers on the team. He just gets it.”
Secretary of the National Honors Society and a member of the Rho Kappa Honor Society recognizing academic achievement and excellence in Social Studies, Luke’s involvement in community service is extensive.
He has volunteered with Special Olympics, Senior Olympics, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and St. James Social Concerns.
On Youth in Government Day last year, Luke was selected to represent his high school at Woodbridge Town Hall to introduce community service ideas and potential improvements to the township.
As director of the Woodbridge Park Summer Food Drive, Luke created a township-wide food drive with the help of town hall to combat food shortages at the Saint James food pantry.
A senior class officer, Luke is involved with the high school’s Heroes and Cool Kids and Freshman Mentors programs.
He has also found time throughout his scholastic career to participate in baseball, basketball, track and field, the Yearbook Club, and the S.O.S. (Save Our Strays) Club which helps animals find homes through live adoption events and fundraisers with shelters.
“Luke’s (benevolent nature) inspires other people to do the same,” Gigliello said, noting charity “is something he was geared to.”
Luke’s parents, Jennifer and Rob, instilled in their three children – including Jake, a sophomore at Princeton University, and Riley, a sophomore at Woodbridge – the importance of volunteerism and community service.
“For him and his family to be able to donate that much money and food for such a good cause for people that really need it is just unbelievable,” Gigliello said. “You can’t ask for something better.”
Luke and Woodbridge teammates Ian Coleman and Angelina Smolder were among 54 boys and girls golfers from the Greater Middlesex Conference who participated in the Tee Off Against Hunger.
For the third consecutive year, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, whose mission is to assist pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area, sponsored the high school golfers, partnering with a generous benefactor to cover their full registration fee to participate in the event.
Hands of Hope for the Community, which organized and ran the wildly successful event, 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.
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 Middlesex County high school graduates and sent 26 elementary and middle school students to a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum. Jake Vazquez is among the foundation’s scholarship recipients.
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 and her classmates collected nonperishable food items to donate to Hands of Hope for the Community.