NJ TRANSIT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PACKS UP COATS FOR CHARITY DONATION

SEASON OF SERVICE EFFORT FOCUSES ON HELPING THOSE LESS FORTUNATE

NEWARK, NJ -- As part of Governor Chris Christie’s Season of Service Volunteer Effort, NJ TRANSIT’s Executive Director Steven H. Santoro helped pack up coats for delivery to those in need of warm clothing this winter.

The outerwear will be distributed to those served by Jersey Cares, an Essex County-based group that serves the less fortunate, and for the Camden Mission.

The Season of Service is a statewide initiative where key members of Governor Christie’s leadership team devote part of a day to serving the community.

This Season of Service has an extra special meaning for NJ TRANSIT’s executive director as the coats he is preparing for delivery have been generously donated by NJ TRANSIT employees through the agency’s “Jersey Cares Coat Drive.’’ The agency’s slogan is “Warm Hearts Give Warm Coats.’’

A total of 334 coats were donated by NJ TRANSIT employees at coat collection bins set up at several work locations throughout the state.

“The Governor and his team members are committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of our fellow New Jersey residents,’’ said Executive Director Santoro. “For several weeks now, the men and women of NJ TRANSIT have been generously donating new or gently-used coats to this cause. I am happy to be a part of this worthy endeavor and gather these coats for distribution to those who desperately need them.”

In previous years, NJ TRANSIT’s Executive Director has volunteered at a Boys & Girls Club in Newark, N.J. and at a soup kitchen in Morristown, N.J.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 938,500 weekday trips on 254 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 166 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.