Community Corner

Patch Lends a Hand at Food Bank of South Jersey

Patcher staffers learned more about the scope of hunger in South Jersey in a morning at the Food Bank in Pennsauken. Interested in learning what you can do to help? Read on.

After a busy evening of election night coverage, Patch staffers in South Jersey woke up bright and early Nov. 7 for a volunteerism gig that hit home—helping out at the Food Bank of South Jersey. 

The Patch volunteering day is part of an initiative promoted by Patch nationwide. Give 5 encourages employees to spend five days per year volunteering with an organization that supports local Patch communities. Past projects have included park cleanups and even going barefoot for a day. This time, we decided to do a project together.

The Food Bank of South Jersey fits the bill perfectly. It serves four counties—Camden, Gloucester, Salem and part of Burlington—and runs programs that Patch has written about in the past, including its Just Peachy salsa campaign. So, we decided as a group to get a first-hand look into the operations there by spending the morning volunteering.

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Community Engagement Coordinator Sabine Mehnert led Patch staff on a tour of the facility before getting them to work. She also shared some truly staggering statistics on hunger in our area:

  • 173,000 people—1 in 6—go hungry in our area every day. That number has increased from 102,000 in recent times. "These are our neighbors," Mehnert stressed.
  • 57,000 of those are children, who often cannot do anything to advocate for themselves.
  • The Food Bank of South Jersey has distributed 120 million pounds of food, enough for 101 million meals, since its inception in 1985.
  • More than 250 community organizations, including food pantries, schools and churches, work with the food bank to distribute food to those in need.
  • The 45,000 square feet of storage space at the food bank simply isn’t enough to meet the needs of the hungry in South Jersey. It is undergoing an expansion to add on an additional 20,000 square feet.

On that last point, Mehnert noted, the food bank “isn’t expanding because we want to—it’s because we have to.”

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Patch workers started the morning by filling food packs with staple items for senior citizens. Then it was time to sort. Many donations come from individuals and must be sorted by type so the food bank can put together bags of nutritionally balanced meals for its beneficiaries. 

Volunteers check every item for a viable expiration date and excessive wear and tear before sorting. Patch employees left the food bank with a new appreciation of just how many people work toward feeding the hungry in South Jersey and how many people are in need.

There are ways you can help, too:

  • Cash is king. For every $1 donation, the Food Bank of South Jersey can provide five entire meals based on the organization’s purchasing power. Learn more here.
  • Have a Thanksgiving turkey you’re not going to use? On Saturday, Nov. 17, participate in the drive-through turkey drive. You don’t even have to get out of your car—just drive up to the food bank and a volunteer will take your turkey for a needy family to eat on Thanksgiving. Get the details here.
  • Food donations are accepted at the food bank (1501 John Tipton Blvd., Pennsauken) from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.
  • The Food Bank of South Jersey is always looking for individual and group volunteers. Learn about volunteering opportunities here.

Our thanks to the Food Bank of South Jersey for hosting us. Have an idea for where South Jersey Patch employees should spend their next Give 5 volunteer day? Tell us in the comments.


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