Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • October 16, 2013 Thank you to the Wyckoff Seniors for their continued support of our food pantry. Thanks to Vincent for provid- ing a $50 gift card to Toys R Us for Raymond. (We know he can’t wait to pick out his remote-controlled car!) We are planning our Fourth Annual Bash, which will be held in March 2014. Please contact us if you would like to be involved. We need help getting corporate sponsor- ships, donations of sports tickets and memorabilia, and selling ads for our journal. The following is from one of our caseworkers, Susan: “Working with families and children has been my life- time work, however, I am fairly new to ECF and the expe- rience has already taught me so much. Although, I have only been with ECF a few months I have seen firsthand the amazing work ECF has provided in servicing families with multiple needs. “Having a child diagnosed with cancer places a family at risk of financial hardship, since a parent often needs to take a leave from work in order to be with his or her child during the medical and emotional impact of their treat- ment. Your donations of gift cards for gas and food, and assistance with utilities are a huge help. “Often, families travel long distances to take their child to treatment, and this can occur three or four times a week. For example, a family from Middlesex County will be traveling to Philadelphia several times a week for the next six weeks. This puts an incredible financial strain on a family as gas is so expensive. “Recently, ECF provided another family with a new bed for Brian, for which he was most grateful. Brian was ecstatic and told me, ‘Ms. Susan, I love my new bed, it’s so comfortable and I thank you very much!’ Bringing joy to a child who is going through so much is just one small part ECF plays in helping a family during such a trau- matic time. There is so much more ECF offers and we need your assistance in helping meet these needs.” ECF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a variety of specialized services, at no charge, to any New Jersey family facing the challenges of caring for a child with cancer. We do not raise money for cancer research. Instead, we provide direct in-home care to our families. Many families do not have the financial or emo- tional support to help them get through a major illness like cancer, so our primary focus is providing families with counseling by a professional caseworker, mate- rial goods (such as household items, toys, and monthly grocery deliveries), and emergency financial assistance. These individually tailored services are critical in helping families get through the crisis of pediatric cancer. ECF does not receive any government funding. We rely on donations from the community: financial support, in-kind donations, and volunteer time. Call the North- ern Regional Center at (201) 612-8118 or e-mail Laura at laura@emmanuelcancer.org to see how you can help. • We need volunteers who can deliver groceries to families in Bergen and Essex counties. Spanish-speaking drivers are in particularly high demand. • ECF is looking for a master’s level caseworker to provide home visits and other services to families in the greater Bergen County area. Candidates may e-mail Man- aging Director Carol Davis at carold@emmanuelcancer. org. • We will soon start to collect Thanksgiving baskets for our food families. Please consider making a Thanks- giving in a box for us. You provide the non-perishable sides, and we provide the turkey. This is a great idea for a family project or a Scout troop. • Turn your event into a fundraiser where you collect (continued on page 25)