For many among us, Thanksgiving is just another day of struggling to feed themselves and their families. In New Jersey, “one point one million people face hunger, and that includes one in five kids, almost 400,000 children,” says Julia Kathan, director of public relations and communications for the Community Foodbank of New Jersey.
“Forty-five percent of those people do not qualify for any government assistance,” she adds. This issue, “affects every community in the state, and the need is great.”
What can you do to help?
Contribute to the Community Foodbank’s annual Turkey Drive.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, the Hillside-based organization collects frozen birds and non-perishable food items to help their network of 1000 partner charities provide the makings of a Thanksgiving meal to those in need.
This November 21st and 22nd, the group hopes to top 2014’s donations of 3,500 turkeys and 41,000 pounds of food.
“Our most wanted items,” Kathan says, “include frozen turkeys–we can’t accept fresh–canned vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing; all the traditional trimmings.”
Food will be accepted at the Hillside headquarters, but there are numerous drop-off points across the state, including supermarkets, schools and houses of worship.
For a link to the complete list of sites, click HERE.
The Pine Lake Women’s Club at the Community Foodbank of New Jersey’s 2013 Turkey Drive.
There is also a Virtual Food Drive on the Foodbank’s website. You can donate money as an individual, form a team of fundraising friends, coworkers or club members, or join an already existing fundraising team.
“For every dollar donated, we are able to buy almost ten dollars worth of food,” says Kathan. “We have systems in place nationwide, with our food sourcing and retail gleaning programs that let the dollars donated to us go very, very far.”
Donations of time, food and money are equally valuable.
“Our volunteers and donors make everything that we do possible,” Kathan says. “We are grateful for it all; it all goes to good use, and it’s all needed.”