Toni’s Turns 35: Montclair Soup Kitchen Has 1,000 Volunteers

MONTCLAIR, NJ — They work seven days a week with more than 1,000 volunteers. That’s the level of community support that Montclair has for Toni’s Kitchen, the local food ministry at St. Luke's Church that provides homeless and in-need area residents with nutritional, healthy fare.

This year, Toni’s Kitchen will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a gala fundraising dinner and auction at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Upper Montclair Women's Club, 82 Union Street in Montclair.

The gala's theme, "35 Years of Tending Our Community," speaks to Toni's Kitchen's and St. Luke's mission to provide food and services to neighbors in ways that “respect their dignity, improve health and foster independence.”

Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.

According to Toni’s Kitchen, the community resource has served meals without interruption since its inception in 1982, despite “challenges to resources and operations.” Almost 70,000 meals were provided on-site and through its outreach programs in 2016, a 32% increase over the prior year.

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It's a statistic that doesn't surprise Toni’s Kitchen Director Anne Mernin.

"Suburban hunger is often unseen, even as it extends its reach into previously stable populations,” Mernin said. “High housing costs and a scarcity of full-time jobs can lead to extended periods of food insecurity among working families with school-aged children. Senior citizens were especially hard-hit by the recession and some are finding their nest eggs too slim to meet rapidly increasing housing and medical costs."

• See related article: Essex County Had Most Homeless In New Jersey For 2017, Study Says

In addition to its on-site meal programs, Toni's Kitchen hosts healthy backpack programs for families, health screenings, mental health resources, day laborer outreach and homelessness prevention counseling for senior citizens.

“We are busy seven days a week, working with over 1,000 volunteers and a wide variety of community partners to enhance our impact,” Assistant Director Tara Chowaniec said.

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Photo: Toni’s Kitchen