MORRIS COUNTY — Thirty-five Rotary Clubs in Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren Counties raised money to acquire food that will quickly reach families impacted by the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding to acquire the 200,000 meals was supported by a Disaster Response Grant from Rotary International along with money from the local Rotary District Foundation, several District Rotary Clubs, and private individuals.
“The packaged meals of fortified Oatmeal, Mac & Cheese and Rice & Beans will be distributed from the Madison Senior Center parking lot on Saturday, May 2” said Doug Willis, Distribution Coordinator.
Each participating Rotary Club identified the food pantries and other local community organizations that have the means to quickly get the food to individuals who are food insecure.
Those who will benefit include: God’s Co-op Food Pantry in Basking Ridge/Bernardsville; Salvation Army Food Pantry, New Brunswick; Blairstown Area Food Pantries via several area churches; Sussex County Hunger Coalition; Somerset County Food Bank; Tree House Cares; Sussex County Food Pantry; Nutley Family Service Bureau; Caldwell Food Pantry; Old Bridge Food Bank; St. John’s Church, Elizabeth; Food bank of Lincoln Park, Safe Harbor; Food Banks of Pequannock & Riverdale; Flemington Area Food Pantry; Randolph Food Pantry; El Centro Hispanamerico; Mercer Street Friends Food Bank in Trenton; Interfaith Food Pantry – Morris Plains; Rockaway Food Closet; the Hillsborough Township Food Pantry; Cranford Presbyterian Soup Kitchen; St. Theresa’s in Kenilworth; Netcong Borough Emergency Food Bank; Vocationist Sisters of Florham Park; GRACE; Interfaith Food Pantry; Princeton Hospital front line staff; Robert Wood Johnson front line staff; Holy Trinity Church in Westfield; NourishNJ – Morristown; Washington Food Pantry; Pop-up Food Pantry at St. Bernard’s Episcopal Church in Bernardsville; 39 families in the Westfield backpack program; Damon House; St. James Emergency Food Pantry; First Presbyterian Church of Branchville; West Orange Food Pantry; Branchville United Methodist Church; Avas Kitchen; St. Joseph’s Community Center, Elizabeth; Rutgers Student Food Pantry; City of Elizabeth; Sayreville Care Share Food Bank; Ignite United Methodist Church, Kenilworth; Boards of Education Pequannock Township & Lincoln Park; Market Street Mission – Morristown; Long Valley Food Pantry; Christ the King Church, Dover; Chester Food Pantry; The Salvation Army in Trenton; Loaves and Fishes Commumity Food Pantry in Boonton; The Roselle Board of Education; The Cynthia Johnson Civic Association; Roselle Cares 365; and the St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry.
“These 200,000 meals are in addition to 185,000 meals that Rotary District 7475 and over 700 community volunteers packaged and distributed at an event held at Drew University on March 7th as part of our End Hunger 3.6 program that has donated over 1 Million meals during the last five years,” said Ellsworth Havens, District End Hunger Chair. “We are privileged to be able to help local families during this uncertain time” said Ray Freaney, Rotary District Governor.
