Children benefit from summer food drive

Posted in: Charity Kids on September 9, 2010 at 2:00 pm |

The staff and volunteers at the Volunteer Center of Bergen County (l-r): Cindy Andrake, Debbie Emery, Jane He, Tess Tomasi from Teaneck, Janet Sharma from Cresskill, Melissa Leibe and Karen Torres, joined thirteen other area companies to collect healthy kid’s breakfast and lunch foods to support the “Brown Bag Buddies” initiative of Bergen and surrounding counties.

By Robyn Nadel

Hundreds of children from needy families receive hot breakfast and lunch during the school year through subsidized school meal programs.

When schools closed for summer vacation, these meals are not available, and low-income families are often unable to fill the void, many having to make the choice between paying rent or going hungry.

The Northern New Jersey Business Volunteer Council (BVC) coordinated a summer food drive with both its member companies and other interested companies, to collect “kid-friendly”, non-perishable breakfast and lunch food items.  The food collected during this initiative, entitled “Brown Bag Buddies,” was delivered to the Center for Food Action and other local food pantries during the months of June and July.

“The wages of the working poor have not kept up with housing, transportation and child care costs.  Northern New Jersey has the highest child poverty rates in the state.  Without school meals, families must turn to the food pantries to provide nutritional meals for their children,” says Tess Tomasi, BVC coordinator.

Thirteen companies took part in this year’s initiative, collecting and distributing over 3,080 pounds of food, which, along with cash donations is valued at almost  $13,000.

Since 2000, the BVC’s “Brown Bag Buddies” campaign has raised over $260,000 in food and donations to help provide breakfast and lunch for children who aren’t receiving school meals during the summer.

For information about “Brown Bag Buddies” or the other programs of the BVC, call 201-489-9454, ext. 114 or e-mail ttomasi@bergenvolunteers.org.

Tags: Cresskill featured Teaneck Volunteer Center of Bergen County