POCKETS OF NEED
By: Al Wicklund
Editor’s note: Part of an occasional series focusing on issues of hunger and financial need in the Jamesburg, Monroe area.
The generosity of residents of Monroe Township and Jamesburg assured that close to 200 area families going through difficult financial situations will have holiday dinners this year.
Susan Schneider-Baker, coordinator of the Deacons’ Food Cupboard of the Presbyterian Church of Jamesburg, said 64 Thanksgiving Day dinners were distributed by the cupboard’s volunteers and the Christmas dinner list should be larger.
She said a last-week delivery of turkeys by individual contributors put the cupboard over the top.
Ms. Schneider-Baker, who a week ago was looking at a near 60-turkey shortfall, said distribution was made every family needing Thanksgiving dinners.
"We even received enough to have a start on the end of December holiday dinners," she said.
She said the list of families has grown and the number of Christmas dinners will exceed the number of Thanksgiving dinners.
Rita Whitney, director of the Monroe Township Senior Center, said center volunteers and the Kiwanis Club of Rossmoor provided 115 turkey dinners for township families.
Ms. Whitney said the center has started its drive for dinners for Christmas and Hanukkah dinners as well as its annual collection of toys to brighten the holidays for girls and boys.
Jennifer Sternberg of the Monroe Senior Center staff said Wednesday that the center, working with the Kiwanis Club of Rossmoor and other groups, has begun its drive for gifts for children 5 and up.
"We’re accepting new toys and cash donations for gifts for boys and girls," Ms. Sternberg said.
She said there’s usually a special need for gifts for boys between the ages of 7 and 12.
"We’re getting help from other organizations who are collecting toys for us, and some individuals have "adopted" unidentified families for holiday giving," Ms. Sternberg said.
She said the center will be accepting toys and monetary donations until Dec. 15.
Joe Houle, a Boy Scout Troop 54 committee member, said the Jamesburg and Monroe Scout food-bag drive last weekend brought in 912 bags.
He said the Scouts delivered empty plastic bags to homes in the area on Nov. 15 and picked up the filled bags Saturday.
The donations were distributed through the Food Pantry.
Ms. Baker-Schneider said there were upwards to 250 more bags brought to the pantry.
"There were Girl Scouts and Brownies, other Scout troops and non-Scout groups that helped with the collection of food. I would estimate that about 10 percent of the total collection was the work of non-Scout groups that wanted to help," Mr. Houle said.
He said some of his Scouts were surprised that the neighborhoods with more modest homes were more generous in their giving than some of those with much larger homes.
"It’s possible that people living in the developments with larger and newer homes are new to the area and haven’t learned yet about the traditional food drives in Monroe and Jamesburg," Mr. Houle said.