Avalon Lions Club Donates $16,000 to Holy Redeemer Food Pantry of New Jersey

The Lions Club of Avalon recently presented the Holy Redeemer Food Pantry of New Jersey with a generous check in the amount of $16,000.

Representatives from the Avalon Lions Club joined Sr. Maryanne King, Manager of Community Benefit Programs for Holy Redeemer Health System; Bill Gross, Senior Vice President of Advancement and Community Program for Holy Redeemer Health System; and Marion Matticola, Holy Redeemer Jersey Shore Food Pantry coordinator to present the check at a recent meeting in Avalon.

“We welcome all the support that the Lions Club provides to us throughout the year,” said Sr. Maryanne. “This money will go a long way toward helping us provide food to needy families throughout the greater Cape May community.”

In addition to annual donations, the Lions Club also supports the food pantry through volunteer work with five members volunteering on a weekly basis. The Holy Redeemer Food Pantry of New Jersey couldn’t operate without volunteers who generously donate their time, said Sr. Maryanne.

The Holy Redeemer Food Pantry of New Jersey was started in 1989, by the late Sister Mary Anne McDonagh and the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer as an extension of Holy Redeemer’s home care services, Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice, the largest nonprofit provider of home health and hospice services in the state of New Jersey. In 2013, the facility was renamed to honor Sr. Mary Anne and the inspiration she brought to the pantry and its staff and volunteers.

Since 1995, the Holy Redeemer Food Pantry of New Jersey has been a certified member of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, providing nonperishable food items to sick, elderly, and impoverished individuals throughout the Cape May County area.

Anyone interested in making non-perishable food donations to help those in need during the holidays or anytime throughout the year can drop them off at the Holy Redeemer Food Pantry of New Jersey, 1801 N. Route 9, Swainton, New Jersey, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (drop at front office); contact Marion Matticola at (609) 463-6062). Financial donations also go a long way to providing the most needed food items for the community and can be accepted on-site at the food pantry or online at www.holyredeemer.com/pantry (just designate the donation to the NJ Food Pantry).

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice, the largest nonprofit provider of home health and hospice services in the state of New Jersey, offers a continuum of services throughout 12 New Jersey counties, including Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Ocean, Salem, Somerset, and Union. Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice provides care to patients and their families in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. It is part of Holy Redeemer Health System, which offers a wide range of healthcare and health-related services, including an acute care hospital, home health and hospice services, two skilled nursing facilities, supportive care, a retirement community, low-income housing, an active living community, and a transitional housing program for homeless women and children. For more information, visit holyredeemer.com/HomeCare.

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PHOTO: Accepting a $16,000 check from the Avalon Lions Club on behalf of the Holy Redeemer Jersey Shore Food Pantry are (beginning second from left) Sr. Maryanne King, Manager of Community Benefit Programs for Holy Redeemer Health System; Bill Gross, Senior Vice President of Advancement and Community Programs for Holy Redeemer Health System; and Marion Matticola, Holy Redeemer Jersey Shore Food Pantry. They are joined by representatives of the Avalon Lions Club.