The Jersey Shore Roller Girls collected several dozen coats for local charities Oct. 3, when the roller derby league turned their roller derby bout into a collection spot for coats and winter wear.

Bags upon bags of coats, jackets, hats, scarves and gloves were donated by Jersey Shore Roller Girls’ fans before the evening’s roller derby bout in Asbury Park Convention Hall.

The donated clothing will go toward the following charities:
Easter Seals, New Brunswick
Joshua House Ministries, Farmingdale
Passion Works, Brick Township
Jersey Shore Rescue Mission, Asbury Park

The next Jersey Shore Roller Girls’ bout on Saturday Nov. 28 will double as a collection of nonperishable food items for the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, Neptune.

Canned and boxed food items are ideal donations, whether jars of peanut butter, cans of tuna or boxes of pasta – all items often needed by the Food Bank.

Donations can be dropped off at Asbury Park Convention Hall starting at 5 p.m. Nov. 28 and will be accepted throughout the roller derby bout, which opens its doors at 7 p.m. with the gameplay starting at 8 p.m.

The Nov. 28 bout is the season-ending game, the league championship between the Right Coast Rollers and Murder Beach Militia teams, which also marks a full year of having roller derby bouts double as collection points and drives for local charities.

At previous bouts the Jersey Shore Roller Girls organized book drives for Rumson’s Bridge of Books Foundation, collected movies and music for Tunes 4 Troops, and collected food and toys for the animals of the Monmouth County SPCA.

The league said it is happy to cap off another year with a food drive. The November 2008 bout was also a collection for the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean County, and JSRG collected more than 300 pounds of nonperishable for the food bank.

For more information on the Jersey Shore Roller Girls community service and schedule, visit www.jerseyshorerollergirls.net