12 Places To Give Back This Season
You can help fight food insecurity in our communities at these soup kitchens and food banks.
You’ve probably already started preparing for the biggest meal of the year, be that your menu (from scratch or ordered) [Cheryl, please link to the Thanksgiving restaurants item from this newsletter] or your travel plans. And if you haven’t, here’s your reminder to start—November has the habit of flying by.
Of course, in this food-focused season and in these trying times, we also find ourselves thinking about those in need. “So many more people are living close to the edge than you’d expect—paycheck to paycheck, or only one or two paychecks away from struggling,” says Anne Mernin, executive director of Toni’s Kitchen in Montclair. “When people think about food insecurity, they often think about unhoused populations. But many of the people we serve are working families.”
Mernin also says that suburban food insecurity is often invisible and hidden, particularly in areas known for their wealth.
Keep an eye out for the next issue of MORRIS & ESSEX, where we go into even more depth with Mernin on fighting food insecurity, the populations Toni’s Kitchen helps and her journey so far.
In the meantime, here are a few worthy organizations all around Morris and Essex where you can donate funds, dry and canned goods or your time. (For the full list provided by the county governments, see here for Morris and here for Essex.)
In Morris
Chester Mendham Food Pantry, 100 North Rd., Chester, 862.419.3373
Denville Township Food Pantry, 1 St. Mary’s Pl., Denville, 973.625.8300
Faith Kitchen, 123 E. Blackwell St., Dover, 973.219.7560
Hope’s Table, 20 Church St., Wharton, 973.366.8140
Loaves and Fishes Community Food Pantry, 513 Birch St., Boonton, 973.352.7668
Nourish.NJ, 347 S Salem St., Dover & 36 Sussex Ave., Morristown, 862.397.0030
In Essex
Church on the Green Food Pantry, 147 Broad St., Bloomfield, 973.743.8425
Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit Food Pantry, 36 Gould St., Verona, 973.239.2850
Human Needs Food Pantry, 9 Label St., Montclair, 973.746.4669
Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges, 357 S Jefferson St., City of Orange, 973.856.4000
Saint John’s Soup Kitchen, 871 McCarter Hwy, Newark, 973.623.0822
Toni’s Kitchen, 73 South Fullerton Ave., Montclair, 973.932.0768
Have a local nonprofit you’re passionate about? Tell us all about it on Instagram @morrisandessexmag.
