A yearly effort to help some of the area’s least fortunate individuals and families living with the specter of food insecurity is getting a bigger push into the dog days of summer when the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders recently announced an extension to its 24th annual Curbing Hunger Month food drive.
In each of Somerset County’s 21 municipalities, officials are asking residents to tie orange plastic bags provided by the county to the handle of their recycling container with canned food donations until July 21.
Any households without the provided orange bags may also use regular plastic grocery bags during each of their regularly scheduled recycling days.
Freeholder Director Patrick Scaglione said the continued support of this year’s food drive was imperative for many New Jersey residents.
“Going to bed hungry is the reality for almost a million New Jersey residents, including 15 percent of children and 14 percent of seniors,” Scaglione said. “In Somerset County, there are just over 10,000 people receiving SNAP benefits (formerly food stamps) – including about 5,200 adults and 4,900 children. So despite Somerset County’s reputation as one of the wealthiest counties in the northeast, hunger in our communities is very real.”
Curbing Hunger Inc. President Chuck Knill said the food insecurity rate in Somerset County was “over 7 percent,” stating that the overarching situation for many families was “not just a hunger issue – it is a health issue.”
“These people and families also struggle with high rates of health issues due to a lack of access to healthy food – issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease,” Knill said.
According to officials, Parmalat milk, canned meat and fish, “meals-in-a-can” like pasta, stews and meaty soups, canned tomato sauce, canned fruits, and peanut butter and jelly in plastic jars are highly sought after items. Perishables and food in glass containers, however, cannot be accepted.
In addition to donating food items during recycling collection days, officials said an online donation option has been set up at www.CurbingHunger2018.org. Once at that web address, visitors can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables to donate directly to the local food bank by Amp Your Good, which is hosting the online drive on its website.
Curbing Hunger started as a pilot program in Somerset County in 1995 and was expanded to several other counties in New Jersey. Since then, more than 2.5 million pounds of food have been collected statewide, valued at over $4 million. More than 2.1 million pounds have been collected in Somerset County alone.
For food banks throughout the country, the summer months are traditionally low points for their pantries, as school lunch programs come to an end and holiday food drives are months away.
According to Food Bank Network of Somerset County Executive Director Marie Scannell, the organization currently serves more than 1,400 families a month.
Though the Curbing Hunger drive will end on July 27, curbside donations are collected all year.
Any plastic grocery bag with canned food placed at the curb during any recycling collection day will be accepted.
Donations of non-perishable food also are accepted at the first Saturday of each month during recycling drop-offs at the Somerset County Recycling Center at 40 Polhemus Lane in Bridgewater.