By Allison Perrine
While many individuals and businesses struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to remember that food pantries and shelters that support those in need also need help.
Demand has increased significantly at places like Lunch Break and Fulfill, representatives told The Two River Times. Statewide, people continue to lose their jobs from this crisis and for some, that means living each day not knowing where the next meal will come from. With that in mind, volunteers and staff members of these nonprofits are stepping up to serve more than double what they were serving this time last year.
At Fulfill, formerly the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, staff members are seeing shortages of canned mixed vegetables; shelf stable milk which is a national shortage; canned meals including Spaghettios, ravioli and chili; yogurt and other dairy; fresh, frozen and canned meats; cereals; and canned fruit.
“We are now putting out bids and purchasing food from all over North America. Whichever vendor can get the food to Fulfill the quickest, gets the business,” said Fulfill CEO and president Kim Guadagno, the former lieutenant governor of New Jersey. “Despite our efforts though, we’re still struggling to get many of our staples in a timely fashion. These are certainly unprecedented times.”
Grape jelly is one thing Fulfill won’t be receiving until August because of COVID-19, even though staff members ordered it in April. It also took six weeks to receive a truckload of canned mixed vegetables, said Guadagno.
Tracey Stewart, right, founder and president of the Hockhockson Farm Foundation, with husband Jon Stewart, delivering food to Lunch Break.
“We’re also not getting our retail grocery store donations like we used to because of the shortages at supermarkets, which means we’re not getting regular donations of yogurt and dairy products. Indeed, this is a challenging time in history,” she added. Monetary donations are now being collected to help Fulfill purchase items more quickly from its vendors. More information is available at fulfillnj.org/donate.
Additionally, representatives of the Red Bank-based Lunch Break nonprofit organization shared similar struggles they’re experiencing. But they are committed to not missing a meal throughout the pandemic.
According to Ellen McCarthy, communications and public relations coordinator, the organization is turning to students, community members, businesses and other organizations to help out. Some municipalities are even joining in and making donations, including Colts Neck and Shrewsbury.
“It’s just amazing what comes in,” said McCarthy. “The outpouring of support has actually been extremely humbling. We really see how much we are all a community helping each other.”
One of the most recent donations came from the Hockhockson Farm Foundation founded by Tracey Stewart. The foundation has an ongoing partnership with Lunch Break and decided to use its 11-acre farm to grow as much food as possible for Lunch Break and the people who depend on it. The foundation has pledged to donate everything it grows this season to the Red Bank organization, with plans to do more next season.
“One of the most important things we can do to boost our immune systems is to eat a healthy diet with fresh fruits and vegetables daily. We want to help bring this to as many people as we can as it is possibly needed now more than ever,” said Stewart in a press release. And Gwendolyn O. Love, executive director of Lunch Break, said the food from Hockhockson Farm Foundation was very much appreciated.
“We are thrilled to be among the recipients of the Hockhockson Farm Foundation’s generosity. The foundation’s values are very much in line with ours: nutrition and education, preservation of our natural resources, caring for nature and the well-being of our community,” said Love.
Additionally, the organization recently relaunched its Food Stock-Up 2020 fundraiser to help replenish pantry shelves. According to Millie Jeter, director of administration, the goal is to reach as many pounds of food possible and fund donations to help meet the increased needs “for the many children who will otherwise go without lunch while schools are in recess,” she said.
Over 51,000 grocery bags were distributed from the Client Choice pantry in 2019, Jeter said, which is steadily increasing as more people become unemployed. The organization served over 8,000 grab-and-go meals in April alone, which is a nearly 50 percent increase compared to April 2019. More than 2,000 families and individuals received groceries in April alone as well, which is a 49 percent increase over March.
The organization continues to collect nonperishable goods through the pandemic. According to McCarthy, that includes canned tuna, peanut butter, jelly, rice, pasta, cereal and more. Donations can be made online at lunchbreak.org or with a check made payable to Lunch Break, P.O. Box 2215, Red Bank, NJ 07701.
The article originally appeared in the May 21 – 27, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
