'Unlike Anything I Have Ever Seen': Newark Hero

Bea Karnes
Updated ·3 min read

NEWARK, CA —When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented times. Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these everyday heroes.

Where the nominee lives:
Newark

Where the person who nominated the hero lives:
Union City

Name of the nominee:
James Skinner

Name of the person who nominated the hero:
Shari Bruce

Is the nominee considered an “essential worker”?:
Yes

What does the nominee do for work?:
Plans daily food menus, organizes free meals for Newark students, collaborates with other businesses in Newark, maintains his sports bar in Newark, pays it forward

Why do you believe the nominee should be recognized or honored?
James Skinner, owner of the O'Sullivan's Sports Bar in Newark, California has been donating and providing meals for all of Newark's students for many months now. He has done so in collaboration with some of these sponsors: Newark Rotary Club, Ms.Tracey's The Perfect Day Care, Robin Hood Project with Sean Wells, DeVry University Newark with Daniel Cardenas, Newark Fence, and Don's Trailer Repair.

They have grown so much in popularity going from 300 meals each FREE event, to 600 meals each FREE event.

Besides the Newark Students' free meals, he also provides tasty food for lunch and dinner which is available for pickup since the COVID-19 shelter in place. He is doing a great job keeping his staff busy and employed, and at the same time offering home made food for the community.

TRUE STORY: A "family" member of the O'Sullivan's Sports Bar Crew received their $1,200.00 stimulus check. She said she really didn't need it, and decided to donate it to the O'Sullivan's Sports Bar "NEWARK STUDENTS FREE FEEDS". Wow! We are going all out tomorrow. FREE Newark Students - Baked Chicken, Corn On The Cob, Mac Salad & Watermelon, Wednesday 5 -7 pm.

Reviews:
Awesome! Thank you for your generosity and thank you to O'Sullivan's for feeding the students of Newark. This is why I continue to support you and other local small businesses to keep their employees working.

I can not say enough good things about O’Sullivan’s. Not only are they a great local bar, but they also have fantastic food.

O’Sullivan’s also does an amazing job helping the local students in this community. Their support to help feed the Newark Unified School District students is unlike anything I have ever seen. Not only are they providing meals, but they are doing it with a smile on their face. I can’t tell you how much it means to have that meal for the kids during these crazy times.

Thank you to O’Sullivan’s and your amazing staff for being such a pillar in this community!

What’s one thing you want everyone to know about your hero?:
James has a heart of gold and is a very giving and caring person. He understands the importance of "community."

>> Do YOU have a local hero you would like us to know about? Share their story here.

All photos included in this post are owned by identified third parties who have given Patch the right to use explicitly for the Patch Local Heroes series.

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This article originally appeared on the Newark Patch