Gia Nelms’ ninth birthday will be one she never forgets.
To celebrate her birthday on April 21, the Monroe Township resident brought the community together to help her fulfill a special wish: Rather than ask for presents, Nelms asked for donations of food and supplies for the Monroe Township Food Pantry at the Pfeiffer Community Center. The community responded in large numbers, with friends, family and neighbors donating enough to feed 30 families.
“It was truly inspirational to see how many people want to give,” said Tara Parks, Gia’s mom.
Gia knew her ninth birthday was going to be completely different than any she had celebrated before, given the quarantine resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Gia had a list of items she wanted for her birthday, but given issues caused by the pandemic and families across the area in need of food, she proposed the pantry idea to her mom.
“It was right before my birthday,” Gia said. “I wanted to do this because there are people (who need food).”
Parks was already planning a surprise parade for Gia where family and friends would drive by their home on the girl’s birthday, and she thought it would be perfect to have parade participants also bring donation items. An employee with Monroe Township, Parks, discussed the plan with Community Affairs Director Brandee Derieux.
“We had talked a little bit that Sunday before her birthday,” Parks said. “Collectively, we came up with the idea that we would do a donation.”
Parks had set up a private Facebook page to get the word out about the parade. She posted about the plan to collect items for the food pantry two days before Gia’s birthday. The family also had neighbors reach out and offer to participate in the donation. The plan was to set up tables in front of the family’s home and collect donations from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., the time when Gia’s birthday parade was set to take place.
“We asked them to bring food,” Gia said. “On my birthday, we put two tables in front of the sidewalk. People would just put food on the table.”
“We woke up that morning and there were already donations on our doorsteps,” Parks added.
The response was beyond what Gia could have imagined. Community members drove to their house throughout the day, honking their horns and dropping off bags of supplies. That afternoon was not the greatest day weather-wise, with heavy thunderstorms rolling through the area in the afternoon. Even with the bad weather, Parks said people kept coming.
“It truly was a collective effort of so many people,” Parks noted.
At 6 p.m., Gia’s birthday parade came rolling down the street. Friends and family greeted her with signs, balloons and donations, handing them to Gia out of car windows.
“It was very different than normal,” Gia said. “Normally I would have a birthday party. But this year I had a parade. I liked it because all of my friends in town stopped by.”
Later in the week, Gia and her family drove the items over to the community center, a highlight for her as she experienced the full impact of what the birthday did for others.
“It made me feel good, because a lot of people donated to people that don’t have any food,” she said.
Parks said she saw Gia’s face light up as the donations poured in on her birthday and again when the food was dropped off. She believes the birthday instilled in her daughter the importance of giving to others.
“It was touching, because she still wants to do more,” Parks added.
Gia hopes her birthday can inspire others to participate in community service projects. Even though it’s over, she encourages others in the community to donate to a local food pantry and help others in need.
The Monroe Township Food Pantry accepts donations Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. To adhere to social distancing rules, donations can be left outside the Pfeiffer Center during those hours. Anyone with questions can reach out to Councilman Cody Miller at cmiller@monroetownshipnj.org or (856) 728-9800 ext. 229.
