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Mission:
Feeding the hungry and providing parishioners ways to do God's work are the two main goals of this ministry.
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How can you help?
The Food Rescue & Local Outreach ministry has given joy and received joy during this pandemic, as we assist those with no job and no means of support. Now we have grown as a ministry and we need your support! Here are some opportunities to help:
- Pick up rescued food at specific times at specific locations in Cedar Knolls, Succasunna, and other Morris County spots and deliver to 16 Ridgedale or to the church kitchen for re-packaging or deliver directly to agencies if the packaging is appropriate. You will be guided and given directions. You may do one, two, three, four, or five days per week. It will take about 1 hour per day. Masks and gloves required.
- Re-package food, using the safe-handling protocol and provided materials, as well as social distancing. This happens Monday through Friday, from 8:00-10:00 AM. You may serve whichever day of the week you desire... same day, each week.
- Deliver re-packaged food to agencies in Morristown, daily on whichever days of the week you choose. These deliveries may be at specific times for specific locations.
- Occasional trips to Paterson to Catholic Charities are needed.....maybe once per week or every other week.
- Deliver these meals at 10 a.m. daily (or whatever days you can commit to) to Mental Health Assoc in Parsippany.
- Donate non-perishables by placing them in the white van parked at 16 Ridgedale Ave., Cedar Knolls. If the van is not there, please place food on the front porch. We also need gallon-sized baggies with a zipper top.
- New Opportunity: We will be cooking food for delivery to seniors who receive complete meals from The Interfaith Food Pantry. We will do so at the IFP. You may join us on one or more weekdays from 8-10 a.m.
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Food Donations:
Interfaith Food Pantry - Please drop your non-perishable food donations into my unlocked van, which is parked in the Progressive Garden driveway at 16 Ridgedale Ave. (NOTE: There is a logo on the side of the van reading Brightest Star). If the van is full, please leave the items on my porch. They especially need canned meats, canned fish, and canned beans.
Contact Beth Vecchio at singerdramagirl@hotmail.com or 973-829-1973. -
Serve at Homeless Solutions:
Homeless Solutions, located at 540 West Hanover Ave, Morristown is in need of volunteers to help cook and serve meals to its 85 residents. Contact Christi Sauter at retuas6@aol.com or 973-476-5743.
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Learn more about us!
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This ministry began on the first day of lockdown for COVID-19 in March 2020. The original intent was to collect food for The Interfaith Food Pantry so that they could fulfill their mission to feed the newly hungry COVID-affected population. The lines were getting longer each day. Then, The Mental Health Association asked us for some of our non-perishables for their homeless, hungry clients. When we realized that they were eating out of cans, we prepared sandwiches from the donations by our parishioners. For several months we were the only donors to the Interfaith Food Pantry as all the houses of worship were closed.
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Through the months, we began to deliver our rescued bread and bagels to Homeless Solutions in Morris County, Loaves and Fishes in Boonton, Neighborhood House in Morristown, The Hispanic congregation at the Baptist Church in Morristown, The Table of Hope of Bethel Church in Morristown for their weekly drive-through food distribution and Father English Food Pantry in Paterson. We were striving to have the right amount of recipients for the amount of bread/bagels we were rescuing.
Eventually, we began receiving from time to time other rescued food from Whole Foods, Wawa, 7-Eleven, Walmart, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and other donors. Throughout, we have accepted monetary donations from generous folks who just reached out to ask how they could help. Eight freezers were donated, including the one which replaced the old Notre Dame kitchen freezer as well as the one which is housed at Table of Hope, in order to keep the bread fresh there. Additionally, we have been able to augment our food resources and purchase a large wheeled bin for Notre Dame and another for Father English Pantry where there was a great need.
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The drive-through clothing donations were not original aspects of the Food Rescue Ministry; these have been added as the need seemed to arise.
We have been able to provide an outlet for parishioners who have wished to serve during this pandemic. Several have remarked that they needed to "get out" and do something for others."Feeding the hungry and providing parishioners ways to do God's work are the two main goals of this ministry."
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