Take a minute to imagine...
- You are not able to host a Christmas dinner for your family this year.
- Buying fresh and healthy food for your family is a luxury.
- You don't have enough money to serve your family three meals a day.
- You have to go to bed hungry, after feeding the kids there wasn't enough for you to eat.
- The kids say they are hungry but there is no food in the house.
You don't need to imagine... this is happening in New Jersey today and you can help! Today we join over 100 bloggers in the state of NJ (spearheaded by Deb Smith of Jerseybites.com ) to spread the word...
The Economy Leaves Americans with Empty Plates
More than 35 million Americans, including 12 million children, either live with or are on the verge of hunger. In New Jersey alone, an estimated 250,000 new clients will be seeking sustenance this year from the state's food banks. But recently, as requests for food assistance have risen, food donations are on the decline, leaving food bank shelves almost empty and hungry families waiting for something to eat.
The situation is dire, no more so than at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), the largest food bank in the state, where requests for food have gone up 30 percent, but donations are down by 25 percent. Warehouse shelves that are typically stocked with food are bare and supplies have gotten so low that, for the first time in its 25 year history, the food bank is developing a rationing mechanism.
As the state's key distributor of food to local banks – serving more than 500,000 people a year and providing assistance to nearly 1,700 non-profits in the state – the stability of replenishment of the CFBNJ is essential to ensuring that individuals in need have access to food.
Please think about helping this Holiday, together we can make a difference. If everyone could just do a little, it would help those in need a lot. To help, people can:- Make a monetary contribution: Visit www.njfoodbank.org.
- Donate food: Drop off a bag of food at your local food pantry.
- Organize a food drive: We can help explain the logistics of starting a food drive. Just call 908-355-FOOD.
- Help "Check Out Hunger:" Look for the "Check Out Hunger" coupons at your local supermarket and donate. No donation is too small!
Participating Bloggers for “We Can’t Let This Bank Fail” campaign
4) Simply Sable
5) John and Lisa are eating in South Jersey
7) Chefdruck
10) Cook Appeal
11) Crotchety Old Man Yells at Cars
12) Mommy Vents
13) This Full House
14) Paper Bridges
18) Fits and Giggles
19) House Hubbies Home Cooking
22) Tommyeats.com
23) Off the broiler
25) IamNotaChef.com
26) SimplyBeer.com
27) HistoryGeek.com
29) Momlogic New Jersey
33) Best of Roxy
34) Citizen Mom.net
35) Lynetteradio.com
36) Jersey Beat
37) Pop Vulture Phil
38) JerseySmarts.com
39) LongBeachIslandSummers.com
42) Somerset08873
44) KateSpot.com
46) JCRegister.com
47) New Jersey Real Estate Report
50) Man of Infirmity
51) Another Delco Guy in South Jersey
52) SweetNicks.com
53) Average Noone
56) The Center of New Jersey Life
58) Morristown, Chatham, Summit, and Madison NJ Real Estate
59) Midtown Direct Real Estate News
61) BlowUpRadio.com
62) LazlosDen.com
65) Banannie
67) Matawan Advocate
69) The Joy of Toast
70) Route 55
72) SaveJersey
73) Stompbox
74) Joe the Blogger
76) Stacey Snacks
80) Triple Venti
84) Cape Cuisine
87) Figmentations
88) MiddletownMike
91) Mack’s Journey Through Life
93) Tiger Hawk
94)Politics Patrol, The Bob Ingle Blog
95) The Food Chain
96) Henson’s Hell
98) Baristanet
99) New Jersey: Politics Unusual
100) Jersey Shore Blog
101) Plainfield Today
102) Beacon Bulletin
103) Journal Square Jersey City 07306
Please read this note:
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn,
Thanks so much for your email and support for the Community Foodbank. My mother, Kathleen DiChiara, started the FoodBank over 30 years ago and still runs it. Over the weekend she told me that demand has never been higher at the same time that resources (financial and food) are drying up. She and everybody at the FoodBank have been encouraged however by the strong outpouring from volunteers, contributers and companies to help during these difficult times.
I just wanted to thank you personally for your efforts.
Best-
Anthony DiChiara
It is so important to give back throughout the year but especially around the holiday's to families with children. Thank you for bringing awareness to this.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine in Colorado is trying to start a non-profit which she hopes will span the country. It is called Will Play For Food. In a nutshell you host a playdate with friends and each person brings along food which is bundled up after the playdate and donated to the local food bank. I've hosted one of these in California. It's a great excuse for friends to get together and do something to help others at the same time.
http://playforfood.blogspot.com/
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ReplyDeleteDeb Smith said visits to the Food bank's Site on Dec 15th are 20% of total visits for the month and over 6,000 has been raised !
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