Food pantry needs aid restocking its shelves

Part of an ongoing series focusing on issues of hunger and financial need in South Brunswick.

By: Rebecca Tokarz
   A slow time for food donations and a larger than average clientele list leaves the South Brunswick Food Pantry in need of some help.
   The pantry is almost out of a number of items, including pasta and jarred sauces.
   "This is the first time in the last six months we’ve been almost out of pasta and sauce," said LouAnne Wolf, township director of welfare and social services.
   The pantry also needs canned meats such as tuna, chili, beef stew and ravioli; Parmalot; cereal; beverages such as boxed juices, coffee and tea; packaged cookies and crackers; canned fruits; baked beans; macaroni and cheese; and brownie and cake mix, Ms. Wolf said.
   Disposable diapers of all sizes are also needed, Ms. Wolf said.
   The South Brunswick Food Pantry is run through the Department of Welfare and Social Services and provides needy families and individuals with food assistance.
   Ms. Wolf said the pantry can handle as many as four needy families per food pantry appointment period. The food pantry itself is open by appointment only, on Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
   In the past, the pantry has helped on average one family per distribution period, but that number has been on the rise, she said.
   In the last couple of months, Ms. Wolf’s clientele list has risen to six or seven per food pantry distribution session. Many of the clients visiting the pantry are new to the program, Ms. Wolf said.
   "More and more people are out of work. I guess it’s easier for them to come to us than applying for food stamps," she said, adding that if clients visit the pantry for an extended period of time, they are referred to other resources for help.
   The pantry, which relies exclusively on donations from corporations, churches, schools and individuals, is in the midst of a lull in donations.
   The pantry typically experiences an influx in donations around the holidays, but donations hit a snag during the summer months when the only food drive that benefits the food pantry is the Kendall Park Post Office Food Drive run over Memorial Day weekend.
   In between, the pantry relies on individuals and privately run food drives, Ms. Wolf said. During the annual Memorial Day Weekend drive, customers, carriers and those along the carriers’ routes are asked to leave nonperishable food outside their mailboxes for carriers to pick up and bring to local food pantries.
   However, post office officials notified Ms. Wolf on Monday that the post office has opted not the participate in the drive this year and instead, collected two bags of food for the pantry from the postal employees, Ms. Wolf said.
   Without this drive, the food pantry officials expect to have problems this summer.
   "They usually get us through the summer months," Ms. Wolf said.
   Anyone wishing to donate food to the pantry should contact Ms. Wolf prior to drop-off.
   Donations can be dropped off at the Department of Social Services, located on Route 522 in the Senior Center, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
   For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact the Department of Social Services at (732) 329-4000, ext. 677.