STAMP OUT HUNGER CAMPAIGN TO HELP FEED LOCAL RESIDENTS THIS SATURDAY, MAY 11
On Saturday, May 11, 2013, local branches of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will be collecting non-perishable food donations during their “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign here in Morris County and across America. Sponsored by the Letter Carriers Union and Campbell Soup Company, the food drive is the nation’s largest one-day food collection event and provides millions of pounds of food to relief agencies to distribute to families in need.
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Postal patrons are asked to place non-perishable food in a bag next to their mailbox before their carrier arrives on Saturday, May 11th. The carriers in Madison, Chatham, Morris Plains (includes patrons in Whippany, Parsippany, and Cedar Knolls), Morristown, Mendham, Rockaway, Florham Park and Mountain Lakes will collect the food for the Interfaith Food Pantry and Resource Center in Morris Plains.
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“Right now we desperately need this food”, said Carolyn Lake, Director, Community Relations & Development of the Interfaith Food Pantry. “We’re sprinting to keep up with the demand. By the end of March, we served 1,650 different households and distributed 200,000 pounds of food. That’s a 22% increase over last year.” She added, “The new applicants are coming from more middle-class neighborhoods in areas like Florham Park, Randolph, Rockaway, Montville and Morris Plains. Families are having a difficult time recovering from job losses, illnesses, underemployment and other circumstances that affect their ability to pay for food. We’ve become the last resort for many new people who never needed help before.”
Lake added that the food collected during the “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign helps the Interfaith Food Pantry stock up for the summer when supplies decrease dramatically. She added that roughly 75% of the food they distribute is privately donated by schools, civic groups and houses of worship, and that these supplies dwindle over the summer vacations. “Plus at the same time, more food is needed for those families who have children receiving free and reduced price meals at school, so their financial situation is going from bad to worse,” she added.
The Pantry needs items such as canned soups, fruit, and vegetables, cereal and shelf-stable or powdered milk, tuna fish, peanut butter, pasta and sauce, macaroni and cheese and canned meats and meals.
The Interfaith Food Pantry is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that provides food, educational resources and referrals to Morris County residents in need. In 2012, the Pantry served over 4,700 households and distributed over 741,000 pounds of food. For more information, visit www.mcifp.org.
