Food Pantry still needs help for Holiday Program

Program needs 76 turkeys, or gift certificates for turkeys, to give to families in need, as well as clothes for dolls and stuffed bears that will be distributed and volunteers to help dress them.

By: Joseph Harvie
   Every family that has signed up for the township-run Holiday Program has been "adopted," but the township Department of Social Services still needs help to make it a roaring success.
   LouAnne Wolf, township director of Social Services, said the Food Pantry still could use 76 turkeys, or gift certificates for turkeys, to give to these families in need. She also said the program needs clothes for dolls and stuffed bears that will be distributed to families through the holiday program, as well as volunteers to help dress them.
   Through the Holiday Program, residents and businesses adopt township families in need and provide them with presents and food for the winter holidays.
   All 110 families that have signed up for the Holiday Program so far have been adopted, Ms. Wolf said.
   "And we have some people waiting to adopt other families," Ms. Wolf said.
   Ms. Wolf said it is not uncommon for families to apply for the program throughout December.
   Each year dolls and bears are dressed by residents and are given to families in the Holiday Program, she said.
   She gets help annually from the library and Senior Center, but still has three cases of dolls and one case of bears that need to be dressed. The clothes can be made, bought or taken from other dolls, she said.
   Ms. Wolf said that even though the pantry’s shelves are stocked, she still needs help with the main course.
   "We only have 34 gift cards for turkeys," she said. "We are going to need some turkeys or some gift cards. We have room for maybe 10 turkeys (at the pantry.)"
   Ms. Wolf said the pantry freezers are still filled with bread made by the St. Cecilia’s Youth Group, much of which was distributed to needy families on Thanksgiving and will be distributed for the December holidays.
   If people want to help, they can make a donation to the township-run Human Intervention Trust Fund, which is low on funds, Ms. Wolf said. The trust fund, which is used to help residents in need pay their bills, has just over $7,000 in it, she said. A family can be helped only once a year, she said.
   "Last year we had just under $25,000 and we had $1,000 carry over from the year before," she said. "It’s been a busy year."
   Ms. Wolf said that with the expected increase in the cost of natural gas this winter, she is worried there will not be enough money to help all of the families in need.
   Checks should be made out to the South Brunswick Human Intervention Trust Fund and sent to P.O. Box 190, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852. Mark the envelope Attention LouAnne Wolf or Social Services.
   Anyone interested in volunteering at the pantry, dressing the bears or taking part in the Holiday Program can contact Ms. Wolf at (732) 329-4000, ext. 7674.