Honoring Coast Guard members and their families
The Cape May County Coast Guard Community Foundation provides programs that assist and honor Coast Guard personnel and their families to create a vibrant and welcoming “hometown” for them in Cape May County.
Our Charter Program is the Community Activity Program reimburses Active-Duty USCG families living and or stationed in Cape May County for community related activities. In 2025, the Foundation funded over $13,200 in reimbursements for activities such as gymnastics, karate, little league, piano lessons and more!
The Backpack Brigade Program provides a means of support for families to get a head start on back-to-school shopping. USCG families who register for the Backpack Brigade Program given backpacks full of supplies as their children head back to school.
The Seamanship Award Program collaborates with the USCG Auxiliary to provide funding for Marlinspike Rigging Knives, which are awarded at each graduation to the recruit who demonstrates the highest proficiency during the Seamanship phase of training. This program is generously supported by a local Cape May family, to whom we are deeply appreciative for their support.
Through our special relationship with Coast Guard families, we learned there was a significant amount of them who Homeschooled their children. Launched in 2023, the Homeschooling Families Support Program, aids Homeschooling Families with the cost of their chosen curriculum. This program was established and funded by The First National Bank of Elmer through a grant that continues to assist our families today.
The Navigating Your Way Award Program — An Award Honoring Dr. Amit S. Malkani “Doc,” is presented to a Recruit who has faced severe adversity throughout their Recruit Training Program. This program was created in partnership with the Malkani Family in memory of their beloved son, brother and uncle. We presented the inaugural Navigating Your Way Award in June of 2025.
Other means of support we have provided include:
- A portion of the funds raised from the Coast Guard Community Festival support the USCG Training Center Cape May’s Morale, Well-Being and Recreation (MWR) branch to provide leisure programs and services to improve the quality of life of Service members and their families
- Lunch coupons are provided at the annual Coast Guard Community Festival to Active-Duty attendees in appreciation for their service
- Donations to the Nature Center Cape May in support of the Good Neighbor Fund. This fund provides scholarships to USCG families for Summer Nature Camps
- Participation in the Stockings for Recruits Program by providing Wawa Gift Cards to Recruits in Training during the Holiday Season
- Donations in support of the LCMR After-Prom
- Cape May City Elementary Parent Teacher Committee Events
- Donor of the Coast Guard Dedication Garden Project at the LCM Little League Fields
- Free ice cream for Coast Guard members and their families at the Coast Guard Day celebration held at USCG Training Center Cape May in August
- Contribution to commissioning celebrations for new Fast Response Cutters that are homeported in Cape May including the USCGC Lawrence Lawson, Rollin Fritch, and Angela McShan
- Donation to support construction of the Enlisted Memorial at USCG Training Center Cape May
Our goal is to continue to strive to identify programs that meet the needs of Coast Guard members, their families and Recruits in Training in our community.
