Monmouth University Community Service Club (MUCSC) joined approximately 200 people for the First Annual Jersey Shore Truck Pull, raising close to $9,000 for Move For Hunger last Saturday, Sept. 13 at The Headliner in Neptune, NJ.
Fifteen teams competed in a timed competition pulling a 17,000 pound straight box moving truck for a distance of 100 feet. Participants gripped a thick, knotted rope attached to the truck and pulled their way to the finish line. During the first round of truck pulls, the rain caused some participants to slip, making the event an even greater challenge. Each team was then given the opportunity to compete for a second time. Kayla Adamson, MUCSC Accounts Executive, and Move For Hunger intern said, “Usually, if it’s a rainy and cold day, people don’t show up, but Move For Hunger has made such a difference in this community that people were still so excited to be there and it really made the event extra special.”
There was close competition amongst various gyms, firemen, and businesses represented at the event. Move For Hunger had a goal of ten participating teams; however, fifteen teams wound up competing. The winners of the truck pull were ten males representing E&K Insurance, one of the signature event sponsors, with a time of 14.69 seconds. Neptune Fire Department followed up in second place with a time of 14.84 seconds. Lowy’s Moving Service placed third, pulling the truck 100 feet in a time of 15.00 seconds.
MUCSC placed tenth, with a time of 24.59 seconds. Casey Allocco, senior communication major and President of MUCSC, said, “For a bunch of students going up against big fire fighters and personal trainers, we did pretty well at the event! We even beat a few of the other teams in the rain.”
The money raised from the event benefited Move For Hunger, which is a non-profit organization that picks up non-perishable food items from people who are moving and delivers it to food banks. According to Move For Hunger, approximately 128,290 people are food insecure in Monmouth and Ocean counties, equaling an estimated 10.6 percent of the population. Adamson said, “The mission to help end hunger is such a great cause because you don’t realize how many people actually struggle daily to put food on their plates. Move For Hunger allows for these families to go to their local pantries and food drives and have accessibility to a surplus amount of food.”
Move For Hunger was created by Adam Lowy in Neptune, NJ five years ago. By the fifth anniversary, Move For Hunger delivered over 3.5 million pounds of food to those in need. Goals for the upcoming year include expanding the program to bring on additional participating movers who are committed to giving back, and to deliver two million pounds of food in one year.
The First Annual Jersey Shore Truck Pull kicked off Hunger Action Month. Kristy Redford, Director of Development for Move For Hunger, said, “Move For Hunger works with over 600 movers across the country to pick up unwanted food items during the moving process, so we had always wanted to do an event involving a moving truck. Our original idea for the event was to do a giant tug of war competition with teams. Eventually the idea developed to do a tug of war with the moving truck!” The event also featured prizes, vendors, live music, and raffles.
MUCSC members volunteered to set up the event, work the stopwatch, sell raffles, and help pull the truck for teams that did not have ten participants. Redford said, “The support of the volunteers from Monmouth was a huge reason for the success of this event from beginning to end. Move For Hunger has a very small staff of seven, so that’s not a lot of hands to pull off a major fundraiser event. The volunteers were there first thing in the morning to help with the set-up and stayed throughout the day to help with every detail of the event.”
With the First Annual Truck Pull under their belt, Move For Hunger has already discussed a date for next year’s Truck Pull and plans to make it bigger and better, as well as possibly work with others to hold the event in their community or on their campus. Allocco said, “Move For Hunger leaders mentioned the idea of maybe hosting a Truck Pull at Monmouth through Community Service Club in the spring. We’re really hoping this is something we can do to raise money for such a great organization helping so many people.”
PHOTO COURTESY of Move For Hunger
