South Edison Community Association Food Drive A Huge Success

EDISON, NJ — Thanks to the generosity of Edison residents, last Saturday’s food drive to benefit Edison’s “Hand of Hope” food pantry was a huge success.

The South Edison Community Association collected 23 truckloads of non-perishable food and helped raise $25,000 in direct donations for more than 4,500 needy people and families who live in the area. The number of people in need — unfortunately — is growing.

“Our weekend food drive was a tremendous success to restock Hands of Hope,” said organizer Anthony Russomanno. “It shows the amazing strength of community unity. We can meet any challenge and accomplish any goal by working together.”

The South Edison Community Association (SECA) got support for Saturday’s food drive from two dozen civic groups, schools, churches and unions.

“We brought together Christians, Jews and Muslims; Asian and Asian-Indian neighbors; corporate executives and small business owners; Republicans and Democrats; police and
firefighters; and teachers and environmentalists,” Russomanno said. “That’s really terrific.”

"The generous outpouring of community support filled pantry shelves and our storage units," said Middlesex County Freeholder Charles Tomaro, a long-time Hands of Hope volunteer and board member.

Edison got so much food they were able to donate the extra to nearby towns: SECA delivered six pallets of non-perishable food to the Middlesex County Food Bank (McFoods) in East Brunswick to be shared with 130 other countywide food pantries, churches and non-profits.

“We are proud that Edison’s kindness will also help needy families in our neighboring towns,” Russomanno said.

Among the most notable contributions to Hands of Hope:

• Congregation Ohr Torah families donated seven truckloads of non-perishable foods
• Cedric Varasteh, CEO of USTC Corp. in Raritan Center, personally gave $15,000 to the food bank and another $15,000 to McFoods
• Lions Sales, in Edison, donated 500 jars of pasta sauce to Hands of Hope plus 1,000 more jars to McFoods
• Businessman Thomas J. Swales IV donated $5,000
• The Knights of Columbus at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church contributed $2,000

Hands of Hope has also received financial pledges from Edison PBA Local 75, Edison Firefighters Local 1197, Edison FOP Lodge 101 and other local civic organizations. Peter Visceglia, president of Federal Business Centers, also donated $2,500 to help SECA continue its charitable work.

Hands of Hope provides bags of nourishing food to over 4,000 needy Edison-area households, including senior citizens, veterans and people with disabilities. It annually provides hot lunches to 4,500 people; and distributes 300-350 turkeys and food bags at Thanksgiving and Christmas; plus it serves over 500 meals at Easter.

Partnering with SECA for the food dive were: AFSME Local 12, BAPS Temple, Boy Scout Troop 12,
Congregation Ohr Torah, Edison Democratic Organization, Edison Firefighters IAFF Local 1197, Edison FOP Lodge 101; Edison Italian American Club; Edison PBA Local 75 and Superior Officers Association; Edison Police Auxiliary, Edison Public Schools, the Edison Republican Organization, Edison Township Education Association (ETEA), Indian Business Association (IBA), local Knights Of Columbus Councils, Masjid Al Wali Mosque, OPEIU Local 32, Re-Purpose NJ, the South Asian Community Organization, Teamsters Local 469, Edison Wetlands Association and UAW Local 2620.

To volunteer, call (732) 261-7172 or email SouthEdisonCommunityAssoc@gmail.com