By Davy James, Staff Writer
During a time of economic uncertainty, local residents and the Stop & Shop stores in Monmouth Junction and Dayton helped raise thousands of dollars for the less fortunate in the area.
As part of the Food for Friends campaign, the South Brunswick Food Pantry will receive a check for $3,756 in combined donations from the two area supermarkets and already received a check for approximately $5,400 from the Stop & Shop on Route 27.
”We are filled with gratitude for the fact that all three stores donated money through the Food for Friends campaign,” said Social Services Director LouAnne Wolf. “Especially during a time when the economy isn’t doing well, and our requests for donations are up.”
The 19th annual Food for Friends campaign kicked off Oct. 31 and ran through Dec. 11, 2008. More than $1 million was raised for 300 local hunger relief organizations throughout the Northeast, according to a press release.
”Food for Friends demonstrates our commitment to being a reliable partner to the communities we serve,” said Stop & Shop’s Ron Onorato, senior vice president, in the release. “During these difficult economic times we are working harder than ever to fight hunger in our communities.”
As part of the campaign, customers purchased paper turkeys for a donation of $1, $3 or $5 to be personalized and displayed in the store. Supplemented by an additional per store donation from Stop & Shop, the majority of money raised in the area went to the South Brunswick Food Pantry with the remainder going toward state and regional pantries.

