EDITORIAL: Food Pantry nearly bare

EDITORIAL Help stock the South Brunswick Food Pantry with essentials.

   The South Brunswick Food Pantry needs our help.
   It’s shelves and bins are nearly bare — aside from canned vegetables and canned soup — and, unless the community steps up to the plate, things could get worse. According to township Social Services Director LouAnne Wolf, the pantry generally receives a lot of food from student-run food drives — but the school year is nearing its end, which will temporarily shut down an important pipeline of food to the pantry.
   That’s what makes the food drives being conducted by local letter carriers so important. The National Association of Letter Carriers will collect food Saturday and deliver it to the township Food Pantry. Residents served by the Dayton, Kendall Park and Monmouth Junction post offices should place nonperishable food (no glass containers) in their mailboxes before their mail pickup and the letter carriers will do the rest.
   The pantry needs canned tuna, chicken, pasta and stew, coffee, tea, canned and mashed potatoes, Parmalat milk, macaroni and cheese, rice, baked beans, peanut butter, jelly, pasta, tomato sauce, canned crushed tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, cake and brownie mix, snacks and juice.
   Donors also can drop off food store gift cards, cash or food to the pantry at Woodlot Park on New Road, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.