In a bid to fill the food pantry shelves at RISE and at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, East Windsor Township officials are encouraging residents to donate food during the annual township-sponsored food drive in January.
The food drive kicks off Jan. 1 and ends Jan. 31. Area residents and businesses can help by dropping off nonperishable food items at several locations in East Windsor, Mayor Janice S. Mironov said.
Examples of nonperishable food include pasta, pasta sauce, tomato sauce, cereal, canned vegetables and canned fruit. Shelf-stable milk, rice, beans, sardines, dried soup mix, peanut butter, oatmeal, and boxed raisins or boxed apricots also are nonperishable and may be donated for the food drive.
Mironov said food donations decline after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but that does not signal the need to stop donating food to area food pantries for residents in need.
“We want to remind everyone the need for assistance to people in our area continues and we are calling on our community’s proven spirit of generosity,” Mironov said. “We encourage people to bring food donations to our Township Council reorganization meeting on Jan. 7.”
The reorganization meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at the municipal building, 16 Lanning Blvd.
Residents do not have to wait for the reorganization meeting to donate food. Donations of nonperishable food items may be dropped off at the municipal building weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Additional food drop-off sites include the East Windsor Police/Court Building, 80 One Mile Road, where donations may be left any time of the day or night; and the East Windsor Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2 fire station, 69 Twin Rivers Drive.
All food donations are earmarked for the food pantry at RISE and at the Green House Food Pantry at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church to be distributed to local families and individuals.