By Delaney Crawford
One thing the community of South Jersey does is stand up for each other when one is in need. Whether it’s rallying behind a local business, supporting a family in tough times, or coming together for a cause, the people here never hesitate to lend a hand. Neighbors become family, and the sense of unity runs deep around here.
That sense of community support is no different in the case of Ocean City native Adam Coste, whose journey of recovery has been met with an outpouring of love, encouragement and unwavering support from his hometown and surrounding areas. From heartfelt messages to fundraisers and personal gestures of kindness, South Jersey is proving once again that no one faces hardships alone.
Coste is currently recovering from extensive injuries he suffered in the attacks that happened in New Orleans. On Jan. 1, tragedy struck Bourbon Street when 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck into a crowd of people, killing 14 people and injuring at least 57 others. After crashing, he engaged in a shootout with police before being fatally shot. Authorities later classified the attack as an act of domestic terrorism, citing Jabbar’s ties to ISIS.
Coste is the educational travel manager at The National WWII Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. While he may now call New Orleans his home, South Jersey is still rooted deep in his heart, and he in ours, as the whole community will be standing by him through his recovery.
The Windjammer Café Bar and Grille in Somers Point rose to the occasion in support of Coste and his whole family. Kathy Hoover, bartender, sister of the owner, and employee from the start of the restaurant, came up with an idea to not only help Coste but to also get the whole community involved.
Hoover heard about the accident and immediately knew that she had to do something. The Coste family belongs to the Holy Trinity Parish in Egg Harbor Township. Hoover’s sister, Ginny Tiniakos, owner of Windjammer, also belongs to that parish and knew she immediately wanted to help.
“They heard about the accident through the parish. They know of him and said what a wonderful family they are, so we just wanted to figure out what we could do to cheer him up and help him out,” Hoover said.
Thus, the idea of hosting a drawing to win baskets was born. Hoover credited the local regulars that come into Windjammer for getting the ball rolling so quickly. She shared that once she voiced the idea of selling tickets for a drawing, the customers sitting at the bar instantly took their phones out and started purchasing gifts.
“I opened it up to the bar and we had customers go out and buy gifts, then businesses chipped in, and it was just a ton of community support,” Hoover said.
Several local restaurants donated gift cards, tons of shops and businesses gave gifts, and former teachers of Coste from Ocean City donated items to the cause as well. Everyone came together and showed support in the ways they could.
Hoover shared that all this support and the gifts collected for the baskets were done by word of mouth. Once she shared her idea with the patrons and staff at Windjammer, it was all up to the magic of community. Thankfully, the support came through fast. After all the items were collected, three massive gift baskets were formed, and tickets were sold.
On Friday, Feb. 6 at around 5:30 p.m., Windjammer hosted an event to have the tickets drawn. The bar had a great community turnout for the event, with every single bar seat full and the surrounding restaurant crowded with supporters. The Coste family was in attendance and Lucas, Adam’s nephew, was able to pull the winning ticket. That winning ticket belonged to Susan Martucci. Martucci walked away with those three large baskets stuffed with tons of local goodies, sports memorabilia, a massive 55-inch TV and the feeling that she helped someone in her community.
Hoover shared that the Coste family was “so touched from the outpouring of love and prayer from the whole community” during, after and before the drawing. 100% of all ticket sales will be given to the Coste family. Hoover shared that during this endeavor, she, along with the whole staff, just wanted to help the family with whatever they needed, however they could.
“We just try to give back,” Hoover said. “It’s all about giving back.”
Delaney Crawford is a dynamic entrepreneur with a passion for storytelling and digital marketing. After earning a BA in Communications, Delaney built a successful career in the newspaper industry, honing skills in, news writing, media, and content creation. Driven by a desire to empower local businesses, Delaney founded DC’s Social Media & Content Creation, a company dedicated to helping businesses enhance their brand image and thrive online.
