I've wrestled with this post for an hour now, and everything I've written sounds carefully crafted to tug at your heartstrings. I sound just like Sally Struthers begging you to support a hungry third-world youngster, and I know it's going to turn you off. So I've deleted all of it. No sob stories, no efforts at personalizing, no pleas for compassion. Just the basic facts:
Today, more than 100 blogs across New Jersey have joined together to draw your attention to a local crisis -- the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, like food banks all over the country, is struggling. Demand is up and donations are down, leaving the shelves nearly bare. This organization gives much-needed food to soup kitchens, shelters, senior feeding programs, afterschool programs and more throughout our state. Without help from those of us who can afford a few extra groceries, they're not going to survive this recession.
Money may be tight for you this holiday season. But you live in Baristaville -- odds are you can gather up an extra $5 this week and use it to help another family get fed.
How can you help? It's easy:
-- Look for the "Check Out Hunger" coupons at the supermarket and donate. Yes, $1 will make a difference.
-- Pick up some extra groceries this week and drop off a bag at your local food pantry. (Try this one.)
-- Make a cash donation, even a tiny one, at www.njfoodbank.org
-- Organize a food drive. It may sound complicated, but it doesn't have to be. The CFBNJ (908-355-FOOD) can tell you how.
Curious which other NJ blogs got involved in this campaign today? Here's a list...
Participating Bloggers for "We Can't Let This Bank Fail" campaign
1) JerseyBites.com
2) RedBankGreen.com
3) Jersey Girl Cooks
4) Simply Sable
5) John and Lisa are eating in South Jersey
6) Padma's Kitchen
7) Chefdruck
8) Life Lightly Salted
9) My Italian Grandmother
10) Cook Appeal
11) Crotchety Old Man Yells at Cars
12) Mommy Vents
13) This Full House
14) Paper Bridges
15) Motherhood Avenue
16) The Kamienski Chronicles
17) Down the Shore with Jen
18) Fits and Giggles
19) House Hubbies Home Cooking
20) Nourish Ourselves
21) Partybluprints.com
22) Tommyeats.com
23) Off the broiler
24) Mrs. Mo’s New Jersey Baby
25) IamNotaChef.com
26) SimplyBeer.com
27) HistoryGeek.com
28) Savy Source Newark
29) Momlogic New Jersey
30) SurvivingNJ.com/blog
31) SurvivingNJ.blogspot.com
32) JerseyGirlGuide.com
33) Best of Roxy
34) Citizen Mom.net
35) Lynetteradio.com
36) Jersey Beat
37) Pop Vulture Phil
38) JerseySmarts.com
39) LongBeachIslandSummers.com
40) WildwoodSummers.com
41) Mike Halfacres Blog
42) Somerset08873
43) Family, Friends and Food
44) KateSpot.com
45) NewJerseyMomsBlog.com
46) JCRegister.com
47) New Jersey Real Estate Report
48) Riverviewobserver.com
49) More Monmouth Musings
50) Man of Infirmity
51) Another Delco Guy in South Jersey
52) SweetNicks.com
53) Average Noone
54) Cleary’s Notebook
55) Welcome to my Planet
56) The Center of New Jersey Life
57) Sharon’s Food Blog
58) Morristown, Chatham, Summit, and Madison NJ Real Estate
59) Midtown Direct Real Estate News
60) New Jersey Real Estate
61) BlowUpRadio.com
62) LazlosDen.com
63) The Ridgewood Blog
64) Book a Week with Jen
65) Banannie
66) Cartoongoddess.com
67) Matawan Advocate
68) Take Back the Kitchen
69) The Joy of Toast
70) Route 55
71) Montclair Kids.com
72) SaveJersey
73) Stompbox
74) Joe the Blogger
75) Environmental Republican
76) Stacey Snacks
77) Subversive Garden
78) New Jersey Pathfinder
79) Cooking With Friends Blog
80) Triple Venti
81) Read All About It
82) Rich Lee on Media
83) Likelihood of Success
84) Cape Cuisine
85) The Business At Hand
86) NewJerseyTaxRevolution
87) Figmentations
88) MiddletownMike
89) Caviar and Codfish
90) A Day in the Life
91) Mack’s Journey Through Life
92) Alice’s Restaurant
93) Tiger Hawk
94)Politics Patrol, The Bob Ingle Blog
95) The Food Chain
96) Henson’s Hell
97) Cranbury Conservative
98) Baristanet
99) New Jersey: Politics Unusual
100) Jersey Shore Blog
101) Plainfield Today
102) Beacon Bulletin
103) Journal Square Jersey City 07306
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Comments (10)
Great Idea!
Besides the idea of shopping locally to help support local business. (I was on Church Street yesterday buying gifts for my girlfriend.) We should also GIVE locally. I but extra stuff and drop it off at the food bank on 9 Label Street, Montclair.
This is a great idea. If you're already out buying groceries it's easy to pick up a few extra items.
The Human Needs Food Pantry is grateful for the shout-out here, as well as to those who already have dropped off food or plan to do so. Donation hours are 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Staples always needed include canned soup, tuna, peanut butter, rice, pasta, cold cereal. We also accept hotel-size or full-size toiletries and other personal care items. We need diapers (especially sizes 4 and 5) and wipes. For more information, please call 973-746-4669.
And please do give to the Community Food Bank--while we are an independent organization, we purchase food from them at a nominal cost. All the local supermarkets have the check-out hunger program--so easy to add that to your shopping cart!
Our costs are way up--we have many more clients and our food and utility costs are much higher than before. Thanks for helping us out, and for helping our community!
As long as Bernard Madoff is not involved in this bank....I'm in!
PAZ in BOS
I'm with PAZ (except not in BOS); I'm going online now. Paz, watch out for the weather -- looks like NE is set to get another storm.
Just printed out my receipt. Thank you for reminding me.
This is a truly wonderful organization (I've done volunteer work for them). If you ever get a chance to visit their headquarters, do it. It's interesting to see what food products get "rejected" by supermarkets (wrong labeling, lables affixed incorrectly, incorrect weights, etc.)
You can visit the Community Food Bank, and also volunteer in its warehouse--unpack random donated groceries and repack them according to product type so they can be stored in the warehouse. Teenagers are welcome too.
It's an amazing operation--those who want to volunteer around the holidays but can't find anything left in Montclair (I hear Toni's Kitchen is all set with volunteers, not sure about the Salvation Army) could contact the Community Food Bank.
I would love to donate to the Human Needs Food Pantry but the hours are not doable. Can they use volunteers to accept donations after work maybe one night a week. That may help with drop offs. I cannot make it during the day but would like to help...
On Thursday nights between 6-7 p.m. the Human Needs Food Pantry is open for clients; food donations could be dropped off then. Thanks!