Announcing the AJP Cares Winners Spring 2022

April 05, 2022


Announcing the AJP Cares Winners Spring 2022

We all love New Jersey. And we all want to be able to give back to the community that’s given us so much. That’s why A.J. Perri created A.J. Perri Cares, an outreach program we began in 2017 to provide heatingA/C, and water heater relief along with free installation to our local veterans in need of a little help.

Through partnerships with local radio stations Thunder 106 (NJ), and 107 The Boss (NJ), we had the pleasure of helping two more deserving New Jersey veterans and active military families. It is truly an honor and a privilege to give back to those who selflessly served our community and country so that we may continue to enjoy our many freedoms.

We are proud to announce our 2022 winners: Scott Zabe from 107 The Boss and John Palombo from Thunder 106. Learn more about their stories below.  

Scott Zabe

Scott is a retired Navy Veteran who currently lives in Middletown, New Jersey with his wife Lauren and two sons. He served in the Navy for over eight years and was deployed twice with the USS Truman. During deployment, he missed the birth of his first son who had complications when he was born, spending three days in the NICU. He was also deployed when his second son arrived. Scott and his wife Lauren are now expecting their third son, and Scott plans to be able to witness this son’s birth and watch him grow up.

His wife says of Scott, “My husband has worked so incredibly hard and sacrificed everything for us. He puts everyone and anyone before himself and his own needs, and he deserves this and more. He is the most selfless, kind-hearted, genuine, loving, and caring person I’ve ever met.”

At A.J. Perri, we are proud to be able to provide Scott and his family with a brand-new HVAC system and water heater after all the sacrifices he’s made for his family and his country.

John Palombo

John served in the military for a total of 24 years. He served four of those years as active-duty personnel, and twenty with the National Guard, Department of Defense. He currently lives in Manahawkin, New Jersey, with his wife. John commutes to Staten Island and works as a diesel mechanic and part-time as a school custodian to support himself and his wife, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004. Despite commuting over 200 miles a day and working 60 hours a week, he still finds time to serve the National Guard one weekend every month.

His 20-year-old furnace finally burned out in the past 2 years, and it’s time for him to get a new one. We are so happy to be able to provide John and his family with a brand-new HVAC system and water softener that will give him less to worry about.

Scott and John, along with all the veterans who were nominated in the contest, are more than deserving of this donation. We’d like to give a special thank you to the runner-ups who each won a $250 Home Depot gift card. Thanks to all our Veterans for their selfless service.

“We look forward to doing more of these projects this year, where we can continue to help deserving veterans in our community. They sacrifice so much for us, and this is nothing in comparison to what they do for our community,” said Mike Bondurant of A.J. Perri.

Last Updated: June 30, 2023