Middletown Residents Raise Over $3,000 For The Calico Cat Food Pantry

It all started with a small group of committed people talking about what they could do to help a strained and struggling local food pantry. Many people know The Calico Cat, but not everyone realizes there is a cupboard and food pantry beyond the walls of the thrift shoppe which actually helps over 1,000 people monthly. “The pandemic put a tremendous strain on the pantry as many people who never needed help found themselves in circumstances where they had to ask for assistance,” stated Beverly Bova Scarano, chairwoman of the Mid-Dem Community Outreach Committee and immediate past president of The Calico Cat. To give context, she explained that out of that 1,000 total, there are 300 children who count on the pantry and food distribution service for sustenance.

The Mid-Dem Community Outreach Committee presented a $3,200 donation to The Calico Cat, proceeds from two weekend yard sales. “These weren’t just any ordinary yard sales,” Bova Scarano said proudly. “We had exceptional merchandise like artwork, bicycles, surfboards, guitars, a vintage sewing machine, model Hess trucks still in the boxes, and a beautiful ornamental ‘Christmas’ village. All items were donated by people who care and who wanted to do something to benefit an assistance program right in town. The idea is to provide help and hope during difficult times.”

For greater community impact, the yard sales were combined with an awareness campaign about hunger and a voter registration drive to encourage people to become active participants in all levels of government. Bova Scarano was especially proud of several teenagers who participated in the event: Sofia Gorski, a community service volunteer from a local congregation, and Gianna Rasa, a community volunteer from the National Honor Society.

The Calico Cat will be instituting a capital campaign in the future to fund renovations and expansion to the food pantry and thrift shoppe. The Calico Cat is located at 96 Kings Highway, Middletown, N.J. 07748. The telephone number is (732) 671-0550. More information is available on the website, www.monmouthcog.org.

Photos: Members of the Mid-Dems Community Outreach Committee from left to right: Beverly Bova Scarano, Chairwoman, Clare McIntosh, June Haran, Janet Moscuzza, Jenny Wood, Bernadette Balzer, Coordinator of the Calico Cat Emergency Food Pantry, Patricia Reilly, Kevin Daley, Dora Crisafulli, Peggy Rizzolo and Christine Stockhausen Butler, Vice President of the Community Outreach Group, Inc. t/a The Calico Cat.

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