Cranford Organizations Team Up for Vets
Submitted by Jim D’Arcy
As we finally peak our heads out of the 15-month long fog that is the Covid Pandemic, perhaps we forget the damage that it wrought, especially at nursing homes. The Veterans Home at Menlo Park was a prime example. Run by the New Jersey Department of Military Affairs, over 100 Veterans, representing more than one third of the population of approximately 300 veterans there, died from Covid. That is a figure that is and was devastating, especially to those that endured the catastrophe there.
So, to try to bring a sense of normalcy to those Veterans who survived and still reside at the Menlo Park nursing facility and also in recognition of Memorial Day, on Saturday, May 29, the FLAG Organization (Front Line Appreciation Group) of Cranford, with significant charitable help from the Cranford sandwich shop, Sub-Ology, prepared 100 sandwiches for the veteran residents at the Menlo Park center. Current State VFW Junior Vice Commander Jay Boxwell and Past Cranford VFW Post Commander Jim D’Arcy proudly delivered the 100 “subs” to the campus in Menlo Park, right before lunch, just in time for a great meal to be had by the many veterans there.
The Facility Director of Recreation at Menlo Park, Christine Caratozzolo, remarked how wonderful and timely the donation was. “These guys in our dorms love when an organization like FLAG remembers them as Veterans and does something to recognize what they have done for our country. It is so important in their everyday life and Memorial Day even makes it even more special to them.”
FLAG leader and head of Cranford’s Downtown Management Committee Caren Anne Demyen stated, “We were honored to partner with the Cranford VFW Post to deliver the lunches. We worked with Paolo Fontana and his team at Sub-Ology to make individual lunches consisting of a sandwich, chips and a soft drink. The Sub-Ology team was very proud to be part of today’s delivery and each individual’s bag contained a hand-written note from our amazing Cranford Girl Scouts in honor of what these veterans have done for us.” Demyen gave further thanks to the Cranford VFW saying, “The delivery today couldn’t have happened without the support of the Cranford VFW Post #335 and their member’s dedication to advocate on behalf of all our local veterans.”
Jay Boxwell, also a former Commander of Cranford’s VFW Post #335, remarked afterwards, “It is so important to us at the VFW to team with community groups to build that bridge that joins us together in the betterment of our hometown. We commend FLAG and Sub-Ology for a job well done, and we were honored to be part of it.”
The organization “Front Line Appreciation Group” (FLAG) in Cranford was started in March of 2020 right at the start of the pandemic and was originally established as a means to support frontline workers and also the local restaurants that struggled so in the early days of the pandemic. The outpouring the group received in those early days of the epidemic enabled the group to become a charitable organization that will continue to service the needs of the greater Cranford community. Sub-Ology, owned by Paolo Fontana, has made their slogan “what’s for lunch”, and is located at 17 North Avenue in Cranford.
