Short of turkeys and other Thanksgiving food
By: Joseph Harvie
The township-run Food Pantry saw an increase in food donations over the past week, but could still use more, including turkeys and other Thanksgiving-type foods.
The pantry is low on boxed potatoes, stuffing, rice, macaroni and cheese, broth and Parmalat, said Jeanne Wert of the Township Division of Social Services.
The pantry is also looking for people to donate turkeys. So far 11 turkeys have been donated, and 115 needy families have signed up to receive Thanksgiving meals through the pantry, Ms. Wert said Tuesday. She said that she expects more families will sign up prior to Thanksgiving and any turkeys left over would be given out for the December holidays.
LouAnne Wolf, township director of Social Services, said that Medicia, a cosmetics manufacturer located in Dayton, held a food drive and donated over 30 bags of food for the pantry. In addition, Impact Unlimited, a marketing company in Dayton, also held a food drive and donated the food to the pantry.
Ms. Wolf said she also wanted to thank the local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts for holding their annual food drive on Nov. 4 and 5.
She also wanted to thank Eliot Runyon, a Monmouth Junction resident who works for Major League Baseball. Ms. Wolf said he donated Mets and Yankees clothing for children.
Also the Division of Social Services has more people volunteering to adopt a family than families that have signed up for the Holiday Program. Through the Holiday Program township residents and businesses adopt a family and provide them with gifts and food for the holidays.
However, Ms. Wolf said that she expects more families to sign up for the program. She said that people can donate gift cards to Wal-Mart, Target, Bob’s Stores, Stop & Shop or to gas stations, that can be used when those families do sign up.
Ms. Wert said that the Division of Social Services spent $11,000 or one-quarter of its budget, to purchase Stop & Shop gift cards last year.
"If we got more gift card donations last year we would have more money to help out families, because we use money from the Human Intervention Trust Fund to buy the gift cards," Ms. Wert said.
Money from the township-run Human Intervention Trust Fund is used to help needy township families pay heating and electrical bills, doctor bills, insurance costs and any other emergency needs, Ms. Wert said.
There is about $16,000 in the fund now, Ms. Wolf said. She said that last year the township raised $46,000, all through donations.
In addition, the division is selling greeting cards to raise money for the Human Intervention Trust Fund.
There are two cards available, one is blank inside and the other is a holiday card. The general card is a picture of the pond at Woodlot Park titled "Water," taken by Jacob Zatkow, 10, of Monmouth Junction. The holiday card has a reproduction of "Winter Nostalgia," a painting by Eleanor Hornor, a Kendall Park resident who died earlier this year.
The cards are $5 a piece or $20 for a pack of five.
Items can be dropped off at the pantry weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
If people want to donate to the Trust Fund they can make checks payable to the South Brunswick Human Intervention Trust Fund and mail them to P.O. Box 190, Monmouth Junction, N.J. 08852. Mark the envelope: Attention LouAnne Wolf or Social Services. To volunteer or for more information on the Holiday Program contact Ms. Wolf at (732) 329-4000 ext. 7674 or Ms. Wert at ext. 7672.

