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. This Program reimburses Active-Duty USCG families living and or stationed in Cape May County for community related activities. In 2022, the Foundation funded over $10,000 in reimbursements for activities such as gymnastics, karate, little league and even Irish dance lessons!
The Backpack Brigade Program began in 2022 as a means of support for families to get a head start on back-to-school shopping. USCG families signed up for the Backpack Brigade Program and were given backpacks full of supplies as their children headed back to school.
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
- In partnership the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 08-02 in Cape May, the Seamanship Award Program funds the purchase of the Marlinspike Rigging Knives that are awarded to the recruit who has excelled in the Seamanship Phase of Basic Training and presented weekly at Graduation Ceremonies.
- Participation in the Stockings for Recruits Program by providing Wawa Gift Cards to Recruits in Training during the Holiday Season.
- 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.