DAR to honor Benny’s Bodega, individuals at luncheon

The Chinkchewunska Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution will host its 27th annual awards luncheon at noon Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Lafayette House in Lafayette.

The pubic is invited.

Tickets are available in advance only. They may be purchased by contacting Katherine Cook at chinkchewunskachapterregent
@gmail.com or 973-896-0356 by Feb. 15.

The Chinkchewunska Chapter presents awards annually to local individuals and/or groups throughout the county. Many requirements have to be met for the awards to be approved by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

These are the award recipients who will be honored at the luncheon:

• Community Service Award: Benny’s Bodega is a nonprofit started by Benjamin Davey and his wife, Heather, to provide a helping hand to the ALICE population (Asset limited, income constrained, employed), people struggling to make ends meet even though they are employed.

It operates solely with volunteers, donations and fundraising. The nonprofit provide basic needs, such as healthy food options, clothing, cleaning and hygiene products in a store setting. The storefront was opened in 2019 on Spring Street in Newton.

• National Defense DAR Distinguished Citizen Award: At age 18, Jacob “Jake” Yanoff was called into service, and after his formal training, he was sent to Pearl Harbor and boarded a ship and headed to Iwo Jima. Yanoff was part of the second wave to land on Iwo Jima. While on guard duty, his position came under fire and a mortar round landed in the foxhole, killing a soldier and hitting Yanoff; he received shrapnel wounds. After recovering from his wounds, he rejoined his unit on Maui and was ready to ship out Nov. 1, 1945, to invade Japan. However, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August 1945, ending the war. After 23 months of serving his country, Cpl. Yanoff was honorably discharged. He received the Purple Heart.

• Historic Preservation Recognition Award: Richard Stevens has spent 25 years dedicated to preserving history. He has served as a trustee of the Sussex County Historical Society, treasurer of the Byram Historical Society and Green Township Historical Society, and a board member emeritus of the Sussex County Historical Society. He has written many genealogical articles for the “Old Sussex Almanack” and abstracted more than 60,000 deeds in Sussex and northern Warren County.

• History Award: William Strait is a trustee of the Sussex County Historical Society, serving as vice president and co-chairman of the Hill Memorial Museum Committee. He was born and raised in Newton, graduated from Newton High School in 1957 and served as a volunteer firefighter for 15 years. He donated all of the proceeds from his book, “Building the Lackawana Cutoff,” to various projects of the historical society. He also played a major role in its glass-plate project, scanning and making digital copies and contact sheets of more than 5,000 plates.

• Ramsey Cooper Memorial Award: Fred Schofer has been a great supporter of the DAR Van Bunschooten Museum. He has volunteered to attend the museum’s annual three-day open house as the colonial Frontier Guard re-enactor for many years. He “sets up camp” and teaches guests about the lifestyle and weaponry of the Frontier Guard. Schofer also has been instrumental in acquiring other re-enactors who now attend the event. He is vice president of the Millbrook Village Society.

The Chinkchewunska Chapter also has received a grant from the Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council. Funding was made available in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission through the County History Partnership Program, as administered by the council.

The grant will be used for operating expenses at the DAR Van Bunschooten Museum.

The chapter, with about 110 members, meets twice a month at the museum. One is a business meeting; all members are welcome. The second meeting usually features a guest speaker and the public is invited.