Coastal Clean Up In New Jersey
Ted Pascual: One of the things that a lot of people like to go to the beach for is, you know, to enjoy the water and to enjoy the view, to enjoy the sunrise or sunset.
Lois Paula: Ted and his son Jonah appreciate the beauty of the coast whenever they come to visit Bradley Beach, but also understand that something as simple as litter and trash can really affect the experience.
Ted Pascual: When you go to a beach that’s full of trash or garbage, you know that, that takes away from that beauty from that nice scenery.
Lois Paula: And the effects of litter goes beyond the landscape’s beauty.
Jonah Pascual: So if nobody cleans the coast, then a lot of that trash could even go into the ocean, which affects the wildlife, the fish eating the plastic and dying or like even if it gets off far enough to the turtles and other sea animals.
Lois Paula: And while in the past, the community has frequently cared for the coast, the pandemic has hindered regular volunteers.
Gemma Peralta: I’ve been here in New Jersey for 40 years. Before, I’ve seen a lot of group[s] helping in cleaning up the beach or any parking space, parks. But after the pandemic, it seems like I haven’t seen one yet.
Lois Paula: It’s for this reason that Ted, Johna, and Gemma join other INC Giving volunteers to do their part during this coastal cleanup project.
Brother Lowell Nucum: And so it’s important to maintain the cleanliness of the beach and to be able to do that it does take community service projects like this to clean any trash and debris that has been left on the beach.
Lois Paula: The motivation for these INC Giving Lois volunteers is the faith that they all share.
Gemma: It’s always good to give back to the community, especially as a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, we are always taught to do good to help the neighbors. So this is very important.
Ted Pascual: It’s by faith that that we’re, we’re encouraged to do these things.
Lois Paula: Further inspiring the INC Giving volunteers is the hope of sharing this same faith with others.
Brother Lowell Nucum: It is definitely a way for us to share our faith. Not only that, because, you know, this activity shows our concern for our community, then it all the more compels people to learn more about why we do what we do inside the Church Of Christ.
Jonah Pascual: I feel happy that my dad encourages me to go to these activities to help the communities and I hope even other families can be encouraged by seeing me and my dad attending to help clean up at activities.
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