Volunteers at the South Brunswick Township Food Pantry help with the holiday baskets.
By: Rebecca Tokarz
The South Brunswick Township Food Pantry was hopping Sunday as more than 20 volunteers spent part of their day helping pantry officials prep for the annual holiday food basket distribution.
While some volunteers organized the shelves inside the pantry, checking expiration dates and making room for additional items, others worked in the adjoining room, sorting through more than 100 bags of donated food items dropped off by Boy Scout Troop 90 and other Scouts, as well as other donations from residents that have trickled in the past several days.
"I love to do volunteer work, and it’s a really great cause," adult volunteer Wendy Lueddeke said Sunday afternoon. "I started early this week and haven’t stopped coming. I brought friends with me. It’s happening in your own backyard. I like knowing it’s going to South Brunswick residents."
The holiday program is run annually through the Department of Welfare and Social Services and provides families in need with a box or two of food for Thanksgiving and Christmas and is concurrent with the department’s weekly food distribution program.
As part of the holiday program, families are provided with things they would need for a special holiday meal, including everything from basic items such as stuffing and cranberry sauce to a frozen turkey or ham.
At Christmas time, families in the program receive enough food for the meal as well as some special items from their personal wish lists.
Many times, those who receive holiday baskets for Thanksgiving are also on the list for the Christmas holiday basket.
To receive help, a family or individual meets with someone from Social Services in person to discuss needs and eligibility. The staff requests information including family member ages, sizes and a wish list, including food or clothing.
From there, the community takes over, as township residents, corporations and even local schools elect to sponsor a family and in some cases, more than one. They contact the township’s Social Services Director LouAnne Wolf, who sets them up with the first names of the family members, their ages and a wish list.
To help stock the pantry during the holiday season, the pantry relies heavily on donations from township residents, organizations, school food drives and the annual Boy Scouts’ Drive for Food collection.
This year, pantry officials asked the Scouts to bump up their collections to Nov. 16 in an attempt to make the packaging and distribution process easier.
However, word did not reach every troop, so the panty had two collections from the Scouts, and donations were not the same as in previous years. Regardless, Ms. Wolf said, the Scouts did a great job and worked on ways for things to run more smoothly next year.
"It’s not the Scouts’ fault. A lot of areas didn’t get hit this year, including parts of Kendall Park. What the reasons are, I don’t know. If I coordinate with the Scouts in September next year, I think we should be OK," she said. "It was a whole lot less than expected, but we filled everything."
In about an hour on Sunday, a group of about 15 volunteers individuals, regular pantry volunteers and members of St. Cecilia’s R.C. Church’s class who are prepping for their Confirmation sacrament sorted more than 100 bags of donated items. The donations filled enough boxes for 82 families and extra food was taken to the pantry stock room.
Thanks to last minute turkey donations and gift cards, the pantry can provide a turkey or a gift card to each family, Ms. Wolf said.
"When the kids came, the tables were filled. That was 12 o’clock, and they are finished at 1:10," she said, looking around at the organized room that just an hour before was in complete chaos.
Although the pantry is well stocked, there is still one more holiday food basket program in addition to its regular food distribution that takes place. That means donations are still needed.
The pantry could use some additional items, including canned meats such as ravioli, chili and spaghetti and meatballs. Jelly, coffee and bottled beverages or boxed juices are also needed, as well as granulated sugar and flour.
Although the pantry could use some jarred spaghetti sauce, it does not need pasta, Ms. Wolf said.
For some, working at the pantry was their first taste of volunteerism and showed them that just about anyone can need assistance.
"It made me think more about other people," volunteer Kaitlyn Brady, 13, said. "We have everything we need and we have to donate. What if I was the one who didn’t have those things?"
Kaitlyn and her friend, Leigh Ann Tona, 13, both said they would give more time to the pantry in the future.
"I should help out more, not just when I have to," Leigh Ann said.
Although Kaileigh Donlon, 12, used her time at the pantry as part of her service hours as part of their requirements for Confirmation, she said she didn’t really mind sorting food and checking expiration dates.
"I like to organize stuff," Kaileigh said.
Donations for the South Brunswick Food Pantry can be dropped off at the Senior Center in the municipal complex on Ridge Road, Route 522, Monmouth Junction for the holiday program until Dec. 18.
Pantry hours are currently Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. by appointment only. For more information on the Holiday Program, to adopt a family, volunteer their time to sort and package food or to schedule an appointment, call Ms. Wolf at (732) 329-4000, ext. 677 or Jane Hollander at ext. 672. Checks can be made out to the Human Intervention Trust Fund and mailed to South Brunswick Township P.O. Box 109, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852.