Friendly competitors from Little Silver and Shrewsbury took part in the 15th annual White Road Cup game last Friday, with the flag football contest raising $10,000 for the borough-based nonprofit Lunch Break.
Press release from Culinary Communications
The recent Black Friday marked the 15th Anniversary of the White Road Cup, the annual flag-football fundraiser that pits players from Little Silver against their neighbors from Shrewsbury Borough.
First played in 2002, the event has grown to become a festive, well-attended community tradition, featuring contests for children, men, and women. These hard-fought games are exciting for all (and of course, bragging rights are important), but the true winner is Lunch Break. This year over $10,000 was raised for the organization, which helps to put food on the table for thousands of families in need (the charity flag football event raised $10,000 in 2015 as well).
In the November 25 main-event game for men ages 18 to 39, the Little Silver Warriors defeated the Shrewsbury Tigers by a score of 28-21, chalking up their second consecutive victory — although Shrewsbury dominates the history of the friendly rivalry by a tally of 11 wins to 4. The Little Silver women also emerged victorious in the 2016 Powderpuff matchup.
“All of the good that exists in Little Silver and Shrewsbury is represented by this annual football game and it is our hope that through our efforts together, we can tackle hunger in our community,” said Rick Brandt, a resident of Little Silver and the event’s coordinator. Brandt, his Little Silver teammates and their Shrewsbury opponents teamed up to raise the substantial cash donation, in addition to a truck full of food and clothing for Lunch Break.
Brandt, the newest and youngest member of Lunch Break’s Board of Trustees, was among the participants who presented the generous check to the nonprofit organization during halftime of the games, which were hosted on the turf of Red Bank’s Count Basie Field. The players volunteered at Lunch Break’s facility on Drs. James Parker Boulevard the week before Thanksgiving, feeding breakfast to the Lunch Break clients.
The mayors from both towns and principals from local schools represented their communities during the pre-game coin toss, while the Fire, Police and First Aid trucks from the two towns lined the sidelines with the hundreds of spectators who fill the park each and every year.
This event would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of GluckWalrath, Sickles Market, the Thygeson Family, ACME, Reardon Anderson, Quadrangle, Dom’s Cherry Street Deli, Primerica, Bagel Masters, Stephen Chagares, MD, PC, Troy & Zach Mulholland, The Klein Family, and ABH Architecture.
Founded in 1983, Lunch Break has freely provided life’s basic necessities — food, clothing, and fellowship — to community members in need. Its mission is to alleviate hunger and lead those they serve to self-sufficiency and healthier lifestyles. Lunch Break serves everyone, with compassion and dignity.
