Teen Will Turn Food Donations In Millburn And Summit Into Kits For The Needy In 2023

MILLBURN, NJ — High school junior Yash Shah is collecting food at libraries in Millburn, Summit, and Springfield to put into kits to give to the needy this holiday season.

Yash has officially launched the Health and Hunger Initiative, a program seeking to distribute nutritionally-balanced food kits to local residents facing food insecurity.

"It’s simply the right thing to do,” said Yash, who lives in Short Hills and attends Morristown Beard School. “We can all play a small part in solving this big issue, starting from our own neighborhoods.”

Having witnessed families in New Jersey struggling to put food on their tables during the height of the COVID pandemic, Yash first started running food drives at his school, collecting and donating over 3,000 lb of food.

This year, he sought to combine his passion for helping the community with his knowledge in nutrition to build his initiative, which aims to address food insecurity with healthy food options in New Jersey.

Shah first sources the food from donations and purchases, then packages them in a nutritionally-balanced way, in accordance with USDA guidelines.

To support the initiative, you may drop off any food donations at the collection boxes located in the Summit, Springfield, or Millburn Free Public Libraries starting on Jan. 4, 2023.

Alternatively, you can make a monetary donation to the project through its GoFundMe (link on the website listed below). All proceeds will go towards acquiring food for donation.

For further information, visit www.healthandhungerinitiative....