Man Drops Off Gun During Church Food Drive In Bergen County: Reports

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Food drive organizers often prefer that donated items be non-perishable — and also that they not be guns.

Volunteers at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack got a surprise last weekend when a man had a dispute outside the church and then gave a gun in a bag to a parishioner during a charity food drive, a report on 101.5 said.

Kerris Meadows of Saddle Brook was holding a revolver during the dispute outside with a Newark man, said the report. He later turned himself in and was taken to the Bergen County Jail on charges of aggravated assault and terroristic threats, said News 12.

He was released on Friday, Dec. 22, jail records show.

The church's food pantry collects donations and then distributes those to those in need each weekend as part of a partnership with H.O.P.E. for Ex-Offenders, according to the church's social media.

Food items and other donations (as long as they are not guns) can be dropped off at 260 Central Ave. in Hackensack.

The church also offers a bereavement support group, youth activities, virtual services, Bible study, and is having its black tie charity fundraiser in March 2024. Find out more about the church here.