Chiropractor in East Brunswick, NJ

In celebration of the opening, Chick-fil-A, Inc. has donated $25,000 to Feeding America.

Patch Staff

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – The new Chick-fil-A restaurant is all set to open on Thursday in East Brunswick, the company announced.

Located at 371 State Route 18, Chick-fil-A East Brunswick will be open for dine-in, drive-thru, carry-out and delivery from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The restaurant’s drive thru will remain open until 10 p.m.

The new restaurant will also offer Mobile Thru, a dedicated lane in the drive-thru where customers can pick up orders placed ahead of time on the Chick-fil-A App.

The East Brunswick restaurant joins more than 70 other Chick-fil-A restaurants serving the wider New York/New Jersey metro area.

Chris Smith is the franchised local owner-operator of East Brunswick location.

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He will be responsible for all day-to-day activities of the business, including employing around 100 full- and part-time team members.

A native of Montclair, NJ, Smith began his Chick-fil-A career as a college student, where he worked as a Team Member for five years. He then relocated to Atlanta to work at a Chick-fil-A restaurant before entering the Chick-fil-A Leadership Development Program.

After three years in the program, Smith was selected as the local owner-operator of Chick-fil-A East Brunswick.

“I’m thrilled get back to my New Jersey roots and bring Chick-fil-A to East Brunswick. I’m looking forward to making a positive impact in the community,” Smith said in a statement.

“I hope my new restaurant becomes a place for everyone to feel at home, and a place where my Team Members can grow and succeed both personally and professionally.”

In celebration of the opening, Chick-fil-A, Inc. has donated $25,000 to Feeding America. These funds will be distributed to partners in the greater New Jersey area to aid in the fight against hunger.

The East Brunswick restaurant is also participating in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, an initiative that redirects surplus food from the restaurant to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits in need.

In addition, Chick-fil-A East Brunswick is recognizing 100 local heroes making an impact in the East Brunswick area by providing them with free Chick-fil-A entrées for a year.

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EAST BRUNSWICK — Shivansh Sharma, an East Brunswick teen, has donated $5,000 to the East Brunswick Public Library.

The library will purchase two 3D printers with the funds, for the community to use. The library will also offer classes and workshops on how to use the equipment.

"The reason I decided to donate to the library is because wherever I've been, the library has held a very special place in my heart," Sharma said. "I truly believe that libraries can have a profound impact on our community."

Currently a senior at East Brunswick High School, Sharma has been interested in computer science since childhood.

"I started coding when I was 10-years-old," Sharma saud. "Over the years, my interest has only grown, and I've started working on more advanced projects and learning more complex concepts."

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One of these projects is an algorithmic trading bot that automates trading. "I've always been interested in trading. I programmed a bot that uses market data to trade on its own. After a lot of time developing and refinement, I was able to make a profit,” he said.

“Computer science has the potential to positively impact many people and the community,” Sharma said. “Through this project, I not only gained invaluable trading experience, but I was also able to give back to my community.”

The library will also offer classes and workshops on how to use the 3D printers.

“With these workshops, people are going to learn problem-solving skills, generate a lot of creativity, and it’s going to bring East Brunswick a lot closer together,” he said.

Mayor Brad Cohen was present when Sharma handed over the funds to the library.

“Libraries today have so many more purposes other than books and card catalogs,” said East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen. “These are the types of things that will absolutely benefit our community because they give people access to technology they might not otherwise have. These aren’t always practical things to have at home.”

The library anticipates that the 3D printers and training classes will be available to the public starting in April. They will be housed in the library’s EB Create maker space, which offers a variety of creative tools, including sewing machines and a recording studio.

Have a correction or a news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

The affordable housing requirement has now been reduced by 15.8 percent for the township after it pointed out flaws in the calculation.

Patch Staff

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has adjusted the number of affordable housing units allotted to the township, after officials challenged its methodology.

The Fair Share Housing Center has not challenged the current calculations.

According to East Brunswick, the initial methodology was flawed as it miscalculated the land available for building the units.

The township had registered its argument with the DCA who then had a look at the documents and conceded.

According to initial estimates, the state goal for East Brunswick was 314. It has now been adjusted to 265, which is a reduction of 15.8 percent.

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By DCA’s calculation, the number of units given was based on an estimate that the Township has 175 acres of developable land at their disposal.

But according to the East Brunswick town planner, the land available is 44 acres, and the number of units calculated was 256.

“We are glad we got to clear this misunderstanding. East Brunswick has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to providing affordable housing and will continue to do so,” Mayor Brad Cohen said.

Meanwhile a prominent builders association has filed a lawsuit against 158 towns, including East Brunswick. The New Jersey Builders Association argues in the lawsuit that the towns must go beyond what their local officials say is possible and commit to building more affordable housing.

Cohen now hopes that the lawsuit is dismissed. “I hope that we prevail in this as well, because we have been doing our part and have been fair,” Cohen said.

All towns are constitutionally mandated to provide their "fair share" of affordable housing for the region under the Mount Laurel Doctrine.

Have a correction or a news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

Bring your usable castoffs to the Community Arts Center by 1 pm; browse for 'finds' until 2 pm

Sandra Lanman, Local Nonprofit

EAST BRUNSWICK – Spring Freecycling Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 10, at the East Brunswick Community Arts Center on Cranbury Road. Items for freecycling must be dropped off no later than 1 p.m.

Rain will cancel the event. Check the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission’s website for updates: friendsebec.com.

Volunteers are needed for all shifts. All volunteers must fill out the new volunteer signup form even if it was filled out previously for the rained out date.

Freecyling Day offers area residents an opportunity to discard usable, unwanted household items in an environmentally friendly way, keeping them out of landfills while providing some great finds for free. After dropping off their items, people can browse for items from small furniture and housewares to toys, books and tools.

There is no charge to participate in this “free trade” event. All items must be offered for free and taken for personal use, not for resale.

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There will be a separate area at the event to collect these items for repurposing: socks, crayons, markers, sneakers, new and used notebooks and eyeglasses.

Recommended items for freecycling include clothing, shoes, bicycles, fish tanks, dishes, pots and pans, toys, musical instruments, silverware, small appliances, tools, power tools, kitchen items, garage items, electronics and pet supplies. It is recommended that boxed toys, games and anything with small parts be taped shut. There also will be recycling bins specifically for eyeglasses; markers and pens; notebooks; Mattel and Hasbro toys; socks and Brita products.

Prohibited items include mattresses, televisions, computer monitors, paints, VHS tapes, computer disks, paints, pesticides, tires, toiletries, unframed mirrors, batteries, pesticides, food or any hazardous materials. Large furniture pieces and heavy appliances or machinery will not be accepted. Trash cans will not be accepted and must be recycled or disposed of per the township’s instructions. The Friends of EBEC reserves the right to reject items.

Freecycling days are a project of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, co-sponsored with the East Brunswick Recycling Center; East Brunswick Parks, Recreation and Community Services; Do Not Throw It Away, and Green Drop.

The Friends of EBEC is a nonprofit volunteer group dedicated to local environmental education and conservation. In addition to Freecycling Days, the Friends sponsors National Moth Week, Amphibian Protection, Community Garden, Butterfly Park, Moth Nights and Option Green programs at the library. Membership is free.

For more information about Friends of EBEC, visit friendsebec.com, or send email to friends.ebec@gmail.com.

Hi! This is a copy of my article. You can read it here: https://patch.com/new-jersey/s..., or on the attached document. I just put a classified out to advertise my work :).

One childhood memory remains especially vivid: sitting in a small, warmly lit Chinese restaurant as rain gently tapped against the window. The air was rich with the scent of soy sauce and sesame oil, and I sat bundled in my favorite red coat, legs swinging beneath the booth. I cracked open a fortune cookie and pulled out a small slip of paper that read, “Intention is everything.” At the time, it felt like a simple, playful message—something to smile at and tuck away. Now, as a high school junior whose dreams have been shaped by life’s challenges, those three words carry a depth I could never have anticipated.

From an early age, I felt drawn to helping others. Whether it was standing up for a classmate on the playground or explaining a difficult lesson to a peer, I found joy and purpose in offering support. I would often declare, with wide-eyed confidence, “I want to be a doctor,” not yet fully understanding the responsibilities that came with the profession—only that it meant healing, helping, and giving hope.

That childhood aspiration grew far more personal when my grandparents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. I remember sitting at the edge of my grandfather’s bed as he struggled to recognize his wife and daughter. Their voices trembled with sorrow as his gaze remained empty. Yet the defining moment came when I was eight years old, and my mother was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.

At the time, my world revolved around stuffed animals and my “Doc McStuffins” playset. I had no understanding of chemotherapy, malignant tumors, or oncologists. I only knew that my mother was spending more time in the hospital than at home. Sometimes, I was whisked away to my cousin’s house without warning. At eight, I naively thought, “What fun! Another playdate!”

My older sister, already on the path to medical school, would lend me her stethoscope and teach me how to “check” our mother’s heartbeat. I would sit quietly beside my mom as she rested, pretending to be her doctor, listening to the steady rhythm of her heart as if to reassure both of us that everything would be okay. Those moments, though small, gave me comfort. They allowed me to feel useful—connected—even though I couldn’t fully grasp the enormity of what she was facing.

One of the most transformative parts of our journey was our time at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. As we walked through its sterile, echoing hallways, we met Dr. Ting Bao, my mother’s oncologist. Her gentle voice and compassionate presence made the intimidating world of cancer feel a little less overwhelming. Dr. Bao did more than administer treatment—she held our hands through the darkest moments. Watching her taught me that medicine is just as much about empathy as it is about expertise. She became a beacon of hope and a role model I still look up to today.

Thanks to years of intensive chemotherapy and radiation, my mother is now in remission. However, survival is only part of the story—one that far too often remains untold. Life after cancer presents its own battles, many of which are invisible to the outside world.

My mother now lives with neuropathy, a lasting side effect of treatment that causes sudden muscle spasms and loss of grip. I will never forget the look on her face when she dropped her favorite piece of china. It shattered across the floor, and I watched her spirit crack alongside it. She now avoids holding babies, often making lighthearted jokes about her “unwanted clumsiness,” though the pain behind the smile is clear. These physical limitations are accompanied by emotional ones—a quiet, ongoing reminder of the war she continues to fight, even in recovery.

Through her experience, I have learned that remission is not the end. Cancer survivors face lasting effects: nerve damage, chronic fatigue, insomnia, speech impediments, cognitive changes, heart disease, and a host of emotional challenges. Yet, society rarely talks about what comes next. These realities deserve just as much attention as the initial diagnosis.

So, how do we respond?

We shine a light on these unseen struggles. We raise awareness, not only for the fight against cancer, but for the lives of those navigating its aftermath. We become part of the solution by standing beside survivors—offering not just compassion, but action.

There are countless ways to help: offering rides to follow-up appointments, joining or starting support groups, writing uplifting notes to survivors, organizing Walk-a-Thons, donating wigs or scarves, and contributing to nonprofit organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Even small acts of kindness can have a profound ripple effect.

Because as I’ve come to understand, "Intention truly is everything."