A Friendly Wager Feeds Some Poor in Two Towns

Matawan and Fair Haven had a friendly bet on the outcome of Saturday's high school championship game, proceeds going to reciprocal food banks, according to the Asbury Park Press. I was wondering how this bet was going to resolve, as one town's charity would receive a donation and the other would be left wanting. Well, according to More Monmouth Musings, the ever-so-gracious winners at Fair Haven borough council have worked through that dilemma and agreed to make a $200 donation to Matawan's St Mark's Food Kitchen as the Matawan borough council remits its $200 check to the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Everyone wins! Especially the many folks out of work whose unemployment benefits are running out this holiday season. Keep your local food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens in mind as you plan your end of year giving.

By the way, I would like to point out that the rival school districts in this year's football championship game each happen to be regional in nature (Rumson-Fair Haven and Matawan-Aberdeen), yet none of the media coverage of this friendly bet between two mayors remarked on the lack of participation by the two governments where the schools are physically located. As a reminder, Aberdeen, which surrounds the Borough of Matawan, was once called Matavan and then Matawan Township. It's had its own government offices for over a hundred and fifty years. Rumson (as Fair Haven) was formed out of Shrewsbury Township about a hundred years ago and sits at the tip of the same peninsula with its neighbor.

I occasionally advocate for municipal consolidation because our taxes are so high running duplicate courts, police departments, etc, etc. At least we have consolidated some schools. Maybe it is too much to expect for the councils of government to legislate themselves out of business? Better that we have fewer teachers and two jails, I guess.