Eskimo Outreach a huge success

One of the main organizers of last Saturday’s Eskimo Outreach simply said she was “speechless” as she looked around the throng of people gathered in the parking lot of the Mud City Crab House on East Bay Avenue in Stafford.

Earlier Melanie Magaziner, co-owner of Mud City Crab House, said that she and Jeremy DiFilippis of the Jetty Rock Foundation had discussed holding some type of winter festival for local residents and as a way to promote the area as a year round destination.

She said the Eskimo theme came when they saw a drawing of a clam in a parka and somebody said it looked like an Eskimo.

And so was born the Eskimo Outreach, billed as a “Clam Bake of Artic Proportion” to benefit locals in need, said Magaziner.

This year’s major beneficiary is Mallory McBrien, a local young mother of two toddlers battling cervical cancer for the second time. It was discovered while she was pregnant with her son, Cedar.

On her Web page she wrote: “On March 19, 2015 our son is born and he is a healthy beautiful miracle. Everyone celebrates and we are just so excited. I however, know that I still have cancer and in 6 weeks I will have surgery.”

Her entire story can be found at: www.theyoung andbrave.com/warriors/ mallory-m/

Magaziner said McBrien and many of her family members had and have worked at Mud City Crab House and its sister restaurants, The Old Causeway Inn, Beach Haven’s The Black Whale and Ship Bottom Shellfish.

She was already involved with the fund raising efforts for her employee on the “The Young and the Brave” Website, a crowd sourcing site like Kickstarter that takes no fees or charges from the monies raised.

As word of the event spread and a committee formed, sponsors and volunteers began signing up from all over the area, she said.

Last Friday, Reynolds Landscaping set up the parking lot, building firepits and bringing in furniture, said Magaziner.

LBI Girl Scout Troop 589 donated 500 s’mores kits, Ann Coen and Katie Reynolds helped her organize the gift baskets and other donations, she added.

Shore Point Distributors donated beverages and Sea Watch International made a major contribution, including most of the clams served during the she said.

By the start of the event at noon, the crowds began to arrive and just kept growing. Bay Avenue and the streets leading into Mallard Island were lined with cars and motorcycles. Shuttle buses ran from the Mallard Island Estate, Southern Regional High School and other locations and police and volunteers directed traffic.

There was live music under a huge tent erected by Ocean Tents and Party Rentals. The bands were sponsored by the Stafford Township PBA Local 297 with a sound system from MK Productions.

Children had a host of activities and events to choose from with face painting, a bounce tent and Freckles the Clown making them balloon crowns and animals. Party Crashers was there with a trailer filled with video games.

“This is such a great event, I’m donating to everything I can,” said Collette McCormick, of Manahawkin, who came with her husband and son Collin, along with her sister’s family.

”It’s great to have something in the winter for us locals to come to enjoy,” said McCormick, who also said it was good to see the area still has that home town spiritto support each other when in need.

Back under the tent, John Grifo, chef at Off The Hook in Barnegat Light, and his associates shucked clams throughout the event. Sea Watch International donated most of the clams served during the event, Magaziner said earlier.

Next to the raw bar, David Schmid and his team for the Dutchman’s Brauhaus served up bratwurst, mac and cheese and warm German pretzels. Mud City also opened the restaurant for the day offering a limited menu, including their famous crab cakes.

Adult beverages included hot buttered rum, craft beers and wine, but some also took advantage of the hot cocoa stand run by volunteers from Scissor Sisters.

Visitors enjoyed edibles and potables while sitting on the benches and chairs set around the roaring fire pits as the children with help from their parents made their S’mores or simply toasted the marshmallows

By 5 p.m. when the drawings began for the prizes it was impossible to enter the tent due to the size of the crowd. For what seemed like forever, the announcer called of the winning numbers or names of silent auction winners.

All in all, Magaziner estimated more than $20,000 worth of goods, services and gift certificates were donated for gift baskets, door prizes and silent auctions from business all over the area. They ranged from marine items and services to restaurant gift cards and even a year’s worth of free haircuts at Scissors Sisters Salon.

A couple of the biggest winners were Lisa and Anthony Martin, of Barnegat, who then took their $2,700 50/50 winnings and gave it back to event, said Magaziner.

She said they raised close to and perhaps over $40,000 for the Jetty Rock Foundation with most of it dedicated to Mallory.

In addition, on site contributions to Mallory’s Web page on Saturday added close to $5,000 directly to her during the event.

The event committee will meet with Mallory to determine if small contributions can be spread out to others in need, said Magaziner.

She also said the only way she could even begin to gauge the crowd was that the 500 wrist bands ordered for the people who needed to show proof of age to purchase alcohol were sold out by 4 p.m.

Other major contributors to the event included: MK Productions, Skyy Vodka, Jetty Rock and Rustic Drift.

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