JAMESBURG: Breaking ground on new pantry

By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
   CRANBURY — Around 60 people attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Jamesburg Presbyterian Church’s Deacons Food Cupboard building Saturday, watching as the organization entered a new era of growth.
   The cupboard temporarily relocated to the First Baptist Church of Jamesburg years ago due to its cramped surroundings at the Presbyterian Church.
   Now it’s back at the Presbyterian Church as the First Baptist Church was ready to do some renovations of its own, said Bea Davison, moderator of the deacons of the Presbyterian Church.
   The cupboard’s new space has been a long time coming, a 50-foot by 30-foot warehouse-like building organizers expect to be erected within in the next six weeks on the corner of Gatzmer Avenue and West Church Street, on the church’s property.
   Finally, having a place of its own, the cupboard can accommodate the recent influx of recipients that seem to exponentially trickle in, Ms. Davison said.
   There will be no more chasing down turkeys in freezers across the community during the Thanksgiving drives, no more transporting food from one location to the next and no more giving out milk and egg coupons because of a lack of storage, said Ms. Davison.
   ”This will truly be a labor saver,” she said. “Our current building is not handicap accessible, and we’ll be able to keep all of our items on site.”
   The cupboard serves 125 families throughout the area, a number organizers hope will shrink during the summer months when more physical labor becomes available, and the unemployment rate, hopefully, Ms. Davison said, slightly drops off.