South Brunswick reaches out to the 208 township families living below the poverty line.
By: Hank Kalet
South Brunswick is a relatively prosperous community.
At least that’s what all the statistics say. The medium household income in the township, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, is $78,737 nearly double the national median of $41,994. Per capita income was also relatively high $32,104, as compared with the national figure of $21,587. And just 2.1 percent of township families (or 208) were living below the poverty line, compared to the national figure of 9.2 percent.
But that’s still 208 families that live everyday with a level of economic distress that most of us in the township cannot comprehend.
The township’s Division of Social Services tries to keep these families afloat via federal and state subsidies, but it’s not nearly enough which is why the township Food Pantry and Human Intervention Trust Fund are so important.
That’s why I want to encourage everyone in South Brunswick to help out.
Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I make this plea as someone who has reached into his own pocket. My wife, Annie, and I make regular donations to the pantry and the trust fund. And both of us, through her job at Factiva and mine here at the Post, have participated in Social Services’ holiday program, buying gifts for families that could not afford to do so themselves.
Annie’s been doing this for several years now, as a way of turning what can be a difficult time of year for her (both of her parents died in December) into something more positive. Her efforts always result in a big haul this year, she and her co-workers literally bought an SUV’s worth of gifts, filling our Nissan Murano with toys and clothing.
I’m proud to say my co-workers here at the Post and the Princeton Packet did just as well in our first year of participation. In addition to filling my Murano with wrapped packages, we delivered three Barbie bikes that we hope made three young girls quite happy.
I don’t offer this to toot our own horn. My wife and I and the people we work with are just a small contingent among a much larger army of local residents and workers most of whom give far more of themselves than we do.
Consider volunteers like Donna Burzynski, Susan Aaron, Millicent Robinson, Bill Pavlisak and Kathy Kennedy, all of whom spent time at the Community Center in the weeks before Christmas stocking shelves and loading boxes of food that were paired with the gifts collected through the holiday program.
Consider, as well, Scott Gramieri, the Scoutmaster for Troop 888, who stepped into the fray with the Scouts last year, taking over the Salvation Army’s annual kettle drive when Walter and Marian Moyer retired. Their efforts resulted in about $9,000 being raised, money that is administered by Social Services and used to help local families.
Then there’s Scott Newman and his extended family, who made sure that several local families could enjoy a full spread on Christmas. Mr. Newman and his family bought meals from Wegmans of West Windsor and delivered them, along with pies baked by Mr. Newman’s sister-in-law, Susan Caruso, a recipe-taster for Woman’s Day magazine.
A record total of 169 families were adopted through the township’s holiday program, with some groups such as St. Cecilia’s R.C. Church in Monmouth Junction and Congregation B’nai Tikvah adopting multiple families.
And then there were the schools. Various high school clubs, classes, students and faculty members adopted 13 families, donated $1,040 in Stop & Shop gift cards and $2,125 in cash to the Human Intervention Trust Fund. Cambridge, Greenbrook, Crossroads North and Monmouth Junction schools all adopted families and Monmouth Junction raised $1,372 for the Human Intervention Trust Fund through a penny war.
But even with all of this effort, there remains a lot to do. Donations to the trust fund remain well behind last year, which is especially troubling when you consider we are facing a winter of increased fuel and heating costs. And January and February tend to be months when supplies at the pantry begin to run low.
Please make a donation, either by bringing food or Stop & Shop gift cards to the pantry, or by writing a check to the Human Intervention Trust Fund. If every family in town gave just $20, the trust fund would be flush with cash.
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 or in donating food should contact Ms. Wolf at (732) 329-4000, ext. 7674, to find out what is most needed.
Hank Kalet is managing editor of The South Brunswick Post. His e-mail is [email protected].

