Pantry in Need of Nonperishable Food
Photo by Patrick Olivero
RED BANK – Although the dining room that feeds breakfast and lunch to visitors is closed, Lunch Break is continuing to provide services with this message: “We’re not going to miss a meal!”
All meals are being distributed “to go” at the blue front door of the dining room, including breakfast, hot lunch, Friday Community Dinners and Saturday breakfasts. Hours of distribution remain the same as specified: Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 10 a.m. Continental breakfast and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. hot lunch; Friday, 6 to 8 p.m. Community Dinner; Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon breakfast.
In addition, bagged groceries are being distributed at the back door of the Client Choice Pantry; registered Lunch Break pantry clients can pick up groceries. Homebound delivery services are continuing.
With schools closing, the nonprofit anticipates more families visiting with children to utilize the lunch and breakfast services. An added burden is the loss of collected nonperishable food from corporations now that their employees are working from home. The loss is impacting Lunch Break’s food stock.
Lunch Break is in most need of monetary donations and nonperishable food items. At this time they are not accepting donated catered food. The organization said $25 will pay for six hot meals; $40 will buy 10 hot meals; and $50 means a bag full of groceries.
Services such as Clara’s Closet/SuitUp are temporarily suspended. Donations of clothing, promwear and nonfood items are also suspended at this time. Life Skills programs, such as ESL classes, are temporarily suspended. All coaching can be conducted via phone.
Nonperishable and drop-off monetary donations will be accepted at the rear donor door, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon.
Lunch Break freely provides life’s basic necessities of food, clothing, fellowship and life skills for the greater Monmouth County community and beyond.
For further information, please call 732-747-8577.
The article originally appeared in the March 19-25, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
