the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Volunteer Program Feed the Frontlines and Helping Those in Need funded through the HealthBarn Foundation 501c3 by public donations in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was awarded the 2021 NJ Governor’s Jefferson Medallion, known as the Nobel Peace Prize of Volunteerism, for outstanding community service as a volunteer group on September 12, 2021 at the Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton, NJ. There were 12 finalists for the Volunteer Program/Group category and Feed the Frontlines was selected to receive the prestigious Jefferson Medallion. Team members accepting the award for over 400 volunteers included Stacey Antine, MS, RDN, Founder, Director of the Foundation, Paul Vagianos, owner It’s Greek to Me and Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur who also spearheads the county’s Food Security Task Force. The Jefferson Awards, founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Senator Robert Taft, Jr., and Sam Beard, is America’s top honor for public service. For 46 years, the Jefferson Awards have honored a who’s who of American change makers and more than 50,000 community volunteers.
