‘Food For Friends’ Will Benefit Toni’s Kitchen In Montclair

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of a Patch Montclair community member. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The Montclair Public Library will offer a “Food for Friends” program for the holiday season. The proceeds from this program will benefit Toni’s Kitchen Healthy Backpack Program.

For the last three years, the Library offered a “Food for Fines” program during the holiday season. This program allowed overdue fines to be “paid for” with cans of food. The program was very successful because at the end of the program, patrons not only had their fines forgiven, but also returned long overdue items, renewed their library card and used the library’s resources. The Montclair Public Library is now Fine Free. Patrons are, however, still required to return books in a timely fashion and must pay for lost items.

Toni’s Kitchen is well known for its Soup Kitchen, providing healthy hot meals every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to benefit residents of the community. Their Backpack Program is in its seventh year of filling backpacks with healthy food for local families. Approximately 600 children are fed weekly by Toni’s Kitchen with the healthy food packed in a backpack. "As part of our mission to serve all in our community, we are happy to help collect food for Toni's Kitchen," said Peter Coyl Library Director. "We hope the community will once again show their generosity and help our Friends who are in need."

The Library’s “Food for Friends” program begins Friday, Nov. 22 and runs through Friday, Dec. 20. Only non-perishable foods with proper expiration dates are accepted. Foods suitable for the program include: peanut butter; canned tuna, salmon or chicken; canned fruits, vegetables, and beans; trail mix (nuts and raisins); oatmeal; pasta and rice.

Donations will be collected at both the Main and Branch library locations. Please feel free to contact Dawn Quinn, Head of Borrower Services, (973) 744-0500, ext. 2280, with any questions about the “Food for Friends” program at the Library.

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