MONROE – The food pantry in Monroe was stocked with non-perishable goods for the holiday season in November and December in part through Sewa Diwali, a collaborative community effort among Hindu and Indian organizations.
For two years in a row, volunteers, including 100 students in middle school and high school, reached out to 1,500 families through door-to-door campaigns and 3,000 families through social media during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, celebrated in October, according to Prakash Parab, a member of Monroe Indians for Civic Action (MICA).
Mayor Gerald Tamburro and the Township Council honored the community efforts with a proclamation in December, which is posted on the township website.
MICA, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA, SEWA International, the Monroe Hindu community supported by the Indian Cultural Association of Monroe, Rotary Interact Club Monroe, Chinmaya Vrindavan Cranbury, Kashmiri Association of America, Hindi USA, River Comics and Heartfulness came together to organize the Sewa Diwali food drive.
In total, some 6,000 pounds of food were collected and delivered to the food pantry in Monroe.
The organizations held a conclusion of the collection in November with Schools Superintendent Dori Alvich and Councilwoman Betty Schneider.
The statewide Sewa Diwali effort – Woodbridge, Robbinsville, Monroe, Atlantic City, Chesterfield and Edison – collected and delivered more than 25,000 pounds of food items to food pantries across the state.