Verona Juniors organize town-wide food drive

The number of suburban residents living in or at risk of poverty has risen in recent years. In an effort to help ensure that none of our neighbors go hungry, the Junior Woman’s Club of Verona is organizing a town-wide food drive.

The food drive, called Verona Fights Hunger Week, will run from Sunday, Oct. 12, to Saturday, Oct. 18, and will benefit the Human Needs Food Pantry in Montclair.

The Juniors would like to partner with local businesses, civic organizations, charities, religious groups and others who wish to join the club in collecting food donations during Verona Fights Hunger Week. The Juniors will provide a toolkit to organizations that participate, including brown shopping bags, donated by Kings, and Verona Fights Hunger donation forms that can be distributed to members of the community. The groups will, in turn, bring the donations they collect to Town Hall on the morning of Oct. 18. All donations then will be delivered to the Human Needs Food Pantry.

Local businesses are invited to participate in Verona Fights Hunger by hosting a collection bin, donating a portion of their proceeds to the cause and/or providing incentives for customers to donate items. The Juniors already have the generous support of Kings, which will be the site of a shop-and-drop event on Oct. 12. Kings will have pre-filled bags on hand throughout the week, allowing customers to make “grab and go” donations. The store also will donate a portion of sales from customers who bring a Verona Fights Hunger flyer when they shop on Oct. 12.

If your organization or business would like to participate, or if you would like more information about this initiative, please contact the Junior Woman’s Club of Verona at veronafightshunger@veronajuniors.org or call Christine McGrath at 201-988-2404.