Pantry provides for record number
By: Joseph Harvie
After supplying the goods for 133 Thanksgiving dinners for needy township residents, the township Division of Social Services is gearing to collect presents and more food for its annual Holiday Program.
The township-run Food Pantry collected enough food to fill Thanksgiving boxes for 123 needy township families.
In addition, Scott Newman, of Princeton Gate, prepared and delivered 10 Thanksgiving meals to families that signed up for the Thanksgiving program, LouAnne Wolf, township director of Social Services said Monday.
"This is our record number," Ms. Wolf said. "I don’t think we’ve ever helped this many families for Thanksgiving. And this is bad in the long run, because you always hope the numbers go down, not up."
Ms. Wolf said she was surprised so many families signed up for help, and she wants to thank the community for being able to give all of the needy residents a better Thanksgiving.
"We had several businesses and a lot of individuals who donated a lot of turkeys and if they didn’t have turkeys they gave us large sums of money for turkeys in the form of gift cards," Ms. Wolf said.
Even though the pantry was well stocked for the Thanksgiving program, it is still low on macaroni and cheese, beverages, canned meats including ravioli and chili, peanut butter, jelly, Parmalat and cereal, Ms. Wolf said.
Ms. Wolf said she wanted to remind residents that all township schools are holding food drives this week, which should help with some of the needed items.
However, the "giving season," continues on through the December holidays, as the Food Pantry prepares for its Holiday Program.
Through the Holiday Program, township residents and businesses "adopt" a needy family and donate presents and food for the holidays.
Ms. Wolf said that 104 families have already signed up for the program, and there is a waiting list for volunteers to adopt families.
She said anyone who wants to adopt a family can donate the amount they were willing to spend in gift cards to stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Stop & Shop, or other department or food stores. She said that this could help any last minute families that sign up for the program. Or, they could donate money to the township-run Human Intervention Trust Fund.
Money from the fund is used to help needy township families cover emergency expenses such as electric and gas bills, insurance costs or medical bills. A family could only be helped once a year through the fund.
In addition, the pantry is selling two greeting cards to raise money for the Human Intervention Trust Fund. One of the greeting cards is a general card with 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 and $20 for a pack of five.
The cards can be purchased at the Division of Social Services Offices in lower level of the Municipal Building weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To sign up to volunteer at the pantry or to participate in the Holiday Program contact Ms. Wolf at (732) 329-4000 ext. 7674 or Jeanne Wert, of the Division of Social Services at ext. 7672.

