By MADDY VITALE
There are some people in this world who do things for others simply because it is right, kind and brings joy, love and sometimes relief to those who need it most.
Regina Ralston was one of those rare people. She did for others because she loved people and knew that some needed the help she could provide.
Ralston, who once held a big job in the business world, was vice president of the Ocean City Ecumenical Council. But it was as manager of the Ocean City Ecumenical Food Cupboard that she truly shined.
She made sure the shelves were fully stocked and organized for families in need. Often people would say that with her in charge of the food cupboard, it looked more like a grocery store than merely shelves of food in a room at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church.
Ralston, who lived in Ocean City for more than 30 years, passed away unexpectedly on June 24 at the age of 75, leaving behind a husband, Robert Ralston, and many family and friends who will miss her dearly.
Mayor Jay Gillian named July the month to dedicate to the Food Cupboard in Ralston’s memory.
“I want to remind everybody of my challenge to the community to donate to the Food Cupboard in memory of Regina Ralston, the vice president of the Ecumenical Council and the manager of the Ocean City Food Cupboard who passed away last month,” Gillian said in a statement. “Our local Food Cupboard does so much to help meet the needs of local families in town, and serving this community was Regina’s passion. All of you can help honor her memory by making a donation.”
Gillian noted that he and his aide, Mike Allegretto, met Friday “with Ecumenical Council President Jack Shea and Food Cupboard buyer and assistant manager Carol Evans to encourage everybody to pitch in.”
Anybody wishing to donate can drop off non-perishable food donations or personal care items at the following locations during business hours throughout the month of July: City Hall Welcome Center (861 Asbury Avenue, Ninth Street entrance), Knight Building (115 E. 12th Street), Aquatic and Fitness Center (1735 Simpson Avenue) or the 46th Street Welcome Center (46th Street and West Avenue).
Members of the Ecumenical Council said they are coping as best as they can without Ralston, but that it is hard because she was such an important part of the organization and a good person.
“Regina was the most wonderful person to work for her. What she did was terrific. She was so nice and organized. I cannot say enough good things about her. We are all mourning her,” said Carol Evans, Food Cupboard buyer and assistant manager. “We don’t know what to do without her. She was very dedicated. Regina had organized everything so beautifully.”
Evans said Ralston made sure that the food cupboard was well supplied, thanks to the generous donations of the community. She noted that the council will be fine through the fall, but after that, they will need to really work to keep up the food cupboard.
“She is so missed,” Evans said.
Before her retirement in the corporate world, she honed her organizational skills working as a regional director for Verizon.
Evans’ husband, Will Evans, who also volunteers at the Food Cupboard, called Ralston’s passing a “devastating loss.”
“Regina was a very accomplished woman, organized and the nicest person to work with,” Will Evans said. “I have worked with a lot of people over the years and there couldn’t have been a nicer person to work with or for. We are trying to fill in as best as possible, but there are a lot of bases to cover. Regina did it all.”
Both Carol and Will Evans say they are expecting a very good response to the mayor’s Food Cupboard donation challenge, which runs through the end of July.
Will Evans added that the Ocean City Fishing Pier has also created a food donation drive in Ralston’s honor, one in July and another during a fishing event scheduled for August.
The entire community, Will Evans emphasized, missed Ralston.
“I would expect it will be very successful,” he said of both food drives. “Everyone has been very generous over the years.”
For more information or to donate, visit the Ocean City Ecumenical Council at ocecnj.org or Ocean City at ocnj.us.
