Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio and representatives of the First Bank of Sea Isle City donated thousands of dollars in gift cards Tuesday to U.S. Coast Guard personnel who were affected by the 35-day federal government shutdown, the longest in history.
Desiderio and other officials also delivered a variety of nonperishable food items during a stop at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May.
Overall, $5,000 in gift cards and several cases of food were donated by First Bank of Sea Isle City in conjunction with Mayor Desiderio’s Food Drive. The trip marked the second time in two weeks that the Food Drive had resulted in a delivery to the Coast Guard base.
Desiderio serves as vice president of the bank’s board of directors. Accompanying the mayor at the Coast Guard base were other First Bank board members and bank executives.
Also on hand were Sea Isle Councilman Bill Kehner and state Sen. Bob Andrzejczak. Kehner brought a $1,000 check from the Cape May County League of Municipalities to help the Coast Guard personnel. Andrzejczak delivered nonperishable food items that were collected at his state offices.
“It really felt good to give back to the members of our local Coast Guard, who are always there, looking out for us and protecting us,” Desiderio said in a press release. “We need to continue to support and help these young men and women whenever possible.”
Accepting the donations on behalf of her fellow Coast Guard members was Kellie Dean, an 18-year Coast Guard veteran who serves as the president of the Coast Guard’s Chief Petty Officers Association.
After graciously thanking everyone for the donations, Dean indicated that the gift cards and other items will go a long way to help Coast Guard personnel.
The donations were the latest sign of support among elected officials, local organizations and Cape May County businesses for the Coast Guard Training Center, which includes about 1,000 personnel and is one of the region’s largest federal employers.
Branch locations of the Cape May County Library, including Sea Isle, collected nonperishable food and personal care items for furloughed Coast Guard staff and their families during the government shutdown.
During the shutdown, Cape May County officials encouraged Coast Guard families to apply for government assistance.
“Cape May County is a Coast Guard community. These men and women are serving our country without pay, and we want to assist in any way that we can,” Cape May County Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton said in a press release just before the shutdown ended.
President Donald Trump agreed on Jan. 25 to reopen the federal government for three weeks while negotiations continue over how to secure the nation’s southwestern border with Mexico.
