Ways on how they help people in need, through serving them
Cliff Baker proudly served our country as a Sonar Technician on the fast frigate, USS W. S. Sims (FF-1059) in the United States Navy. After experiencing the world and returning to the area, Cliff quickly developed a niche for the many aspects of the foodservice industry with Singer Equipment Company.
With a strong customer service drive, Cliff has built valued relationships with restaurants and suppliers throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In June of 2010, Cliff's lifelong passion for basketball grew from a pick-up (when they searched to find a tenth player for a 5 v 5 game) to one of the largest leagues that are now 300 players strong, The Baker League.
The Baker League continues to develop into a fabulous community asset on and off the court. On the court men, women, and children gather for exciting games and development clinics. Off the court, the Baker League works with various Ocean County community groups and charities to help in their growth and development. When Cliff isn't in a restaurant or on the court, he resides in Toms River and enjoys time with his wife, Terrie, his children, family, and friends.
Website: https://www.aneedwefeed.org/
Instagram: ANeedWeFeed
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aneedwefeed/
Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.
Segment 1
Tommy loves non-profit organizations and helping people tell their stories; today he talks to Cliff Baker, who served in the United State Navy, about his organization, The Baker League. Cliff and Tommy open up the show by talking about how competitive they are, and how much they love playing any games whether it be board games or active games. After a long chat about Pickleball and board games, Tommy starts to talk to Cliff about why he joined the Navy, which turned out to be a funny story where Cliff and four of his friends went to a Navy recruiter and all signed up together.
Segment 2
After the first break, Cliff and Tommy dive into Cliff’s experience from the six years he spent serving our country. Cliff was sent to San Diego for his basic training, where he says they were all installed with fear immediately. His first motto he learned from his very first breakfast was react, adapt, overcome from his first funny breakfast story. Cliff describes himself as someone who is always laughing, but he learned really fast that he could not serve his time at bootcamp with his smile always on his face. Cliff was eventually assigned the position where he was in charge of getting everyone up and ready for the day, after he got himself ready, and if someone did not follow these rules, it was Cliff who would be punished. Cliff’s biggest takeaway from serving in the Navy is the mental capacity you have to have as well as the mental capacity you take away.
Segment 3
Cliff talks about how The Baker league had an awesome opportunity to serve first responders and the military members who were helping them rebuild Ocean County after a tragic tornado. Two confused service members walk into a restaurant Cliff was working at, and this turned out to be the service members who were in Ocean County to rebuild the tornado damage. This turned into Cliff feeding, out of his own house, a Thanksgiving meal to the 350 first responders that were helping Ocean County after their tornado disaster. After this incredible feeding a friend reached out to Cliff about the first responders in a different area that he wanted to feed. A local restaurant owner overhears the story, and offers them her restaurant to prep, make, and feed these first responders. That following Christmas they delivered 650 meals, and that is how they started, A Need We Feed.
Segment 4
A Need We Feed had to change a little bit of their organization due to covid which caused them to shut down. Cliff did not let this stop him, and he began raising money to give meals to those in need. This is when A Need We Feed went from a small $30,000 budget to raising over $400,000 from his fundraising. At the beginning of 2021, New Jersey put out a grant for a non-profit organization who purchased 25,000 meals in 2020 and bought meals from restaurants who stayed open during Covid, and this is exactly what Cliff’s organization was doing. A Need We Feed received the grant, and received through 2021 $460,000 as well as the additional money they raised. From the beginning of Covid through today, A Need We Feed has raised over $1 million to feed those in need. Cliff Baker and his organization, A Need We Feed, has done incredible work and is such a light in his community. In 2022, Cliff’s main goal is to feed the active service members and their families who are struggling to find food. Cliff strives to continue growing his organization, and A Need We Feed isn’t done growing.
