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The dining area inside St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Ocean City had an abundance of foods lining the tables. But they weren’t meals to be eaten by the parishioners, but rather rows of nonperishable items from crackers, to cereal, pastas and peanut butter, donated by the community to help feed those with food insecurity. “There are 200 families in South Jersey in need of certain things. We are sorting through the boxes,” Kathy Thompson, an Ocean City resident and member of St. Pete’s, said Wednesday.

Mikenzie Helphenstine, an adored and respected coach in Ocean City and longtime teacher at the Primary School, passed away on May 4, 2022, after a courageous and long hard fight against cancer. Her strength, determination, love and zest of life was imparted on all those she coached on the field and taught in the classroom. The married mother of two, who died at just 43, touched so many lives that those who loved her vow to continue her legacy. On Wednesday, Primary School Principal Dr. Cathy Smith was presented with a check for $4,000 by those who created a fundraiser in Helphenstine’s memory to continue the work she helped start at the school's community garden.

There was some serious cookie-making going on at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Ocean City on Wednesday. Volunteers joined for an annual holiday baking event for a good cause. Not only do the cookies purchased become a yummy treat for many, but the proceeds go toward helping kids in the community.

Fourth Ward Councilman Dave Winslow is not opposed to hunting. He has family members who hunt. But he has concerns for Ocean City residents in his neighborhood who say some hunters in the marsh near 34th Street are coming too close to their homes.

City Council is giving Ocean City residents two new options for the bimonthly meetings starting in 2024. Council approved a resolution on Dec. 7 for its first meeting of the month to be held at 6 p.m. and the second meeting at 10 a.m. Council normally meets the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

An Ocean City man has been charged with killing his mother at a senior citizen housing complex in the resort, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Ocean City Police Chief Bill Campbell said in a joint news release Saturday. Jeffrey Surgent, 46, called police about 4 p.m. Friday stating that “he suffers from mental illness, and he just killed his mother,” according to the release. Officers responded to Speitel Commons located at the corner of Sixth Street and West Avenue.

Come January, the Ocean City school district will undergo a dramatic transformation that will include three new Board of Education members and a new interim superintendent. At the same time the district welcomes new leadership, the school board said farewell Thursday night to three of its members and the interim superintendent who led the district for six months.

Chapel By The Sea at 55th Street and Asbury Avenue in Ocean City is no more. The congregation of the nondenominational church relocated to Marmora earlier this year after the property was sold. On Thursday, the first day of demolition, a giant excavator began knocking down the large, white structure.

Visitors to Ocean City definitely took advantage of a newer amenity in town – the summer jitney service – which for the past two years has provided riders a convenient and inexpensive way to head up to the Boardwalk. Ridership was nearly 15,000 passengers – 14,735 daily riders to be exact – this past summer, up from 12,000 riders in its pilot year in 2022, according to figures provided by the city on Tuesday. Mayor Jay Gillian said that the jitney service will be returning for the summer of 2024.

A Christmas tree in the lobby of the Ocean City Community Center isn’t decorated with the traditional brightly colored ornaments and garland. Instead, mittens, gloves, hats and scarves adorn the tree, which is aptly named, “The Tree of Warmth.” The tree is part of a donation drive organized by the Colony Club of Ocean City in collaboration with the Ocean City Free Public Library.