The Healthy Happy NJ Thanksgiving mini food drive of 2022 is complete.
I wasn’t even feeling up for it this year, but a kind friend inquired and offered to help!
This year’s highlights:
The total donation weighed in at 71 lbs., plus a check for $25 to the NORWESCAP Food Bank of Phillipsburg, NJ.
Most interesting donation goes to the lady who left a whole snacking spread including avocado chips, gourmet bean dip and O’Doul’s beer!
(Side note: no alcoholic beverages allowed as donations. O’Doul’s is non-alcoholic, but I don’t think bottled beer of any kind is generally accepted. It was a nice gesture!).
I got pulled over during one of my runs!! Police in full force in Belvidere, NJ. I drove around a bit today and saw several people getting stopped.
A few people gave me cash instead of food which is fine. I did an extra shopping trip. One of the local business owners wrote out a check to the food bank. That’s helpful, too.
Thank you to the following people for your generosity:
- Heather and Pete Jansen of Harmony Greenhouses in Harmony, NJ
- Marshall Faust of Marshall’s Garage in Belvidere, NJ
- Chris Fisher of Buckhorn Creek Primitives – Gifts, Antiques and Collectibles (inside The Cellar Door), Belvidere, NJ
- Teri M., Annemarie S., Casey P. and Donna P. of Harmony, NJ
- Mary Beth M. and Kathy K. of Belvidere, NJ
- Special thanks to my son who helped me with carrying some of the donations and finding house numbers in the dark!
How to Run Your Own Food Drive:
If you ever want to coordinate a food drive, you don’t have to wait for instructions. I will give them to you now. Anyone can do it.
Find out the address of the nearest food bank or food pantry.
Call them up during regular business hours and tell them you’re planning a food drive with local friends.
Send out texts or contact local friends on Facebook. Let them know you’re coming around to pick up food to deliver to the local food bank or pantry.
You can make a flyer if you want to be fancy, but you don’t have to. It helps to put all information in one spot that people can refer to, like a Facebook post.
Provide all details, such as the general area where you’ll be picking up, day and time slot…as well as where to leave the food. Porch pickup makes the most sense.
Let people know that you’re collecting non-perishable food items IE canned or boxed goods.
It’s easier to do the pickups for one day and then spend the next day wrapping up communication and delivering the goods.
If it’s below freezing outside, you probably shouldn’t leave canned and jarred goods out overnight. If they freeze and later thaw, they could expand and crack if it’s a glass jar.
(If it’s a can, I don’t know what will happen… something for all of us Googlers to stay busy later.)
Some people might not have time to run out for food. Food Banks take checks, too. Call and ask who to make the check out to.
In 2020, the Open Cupboard food pantry of Clinton requested gift cards to ShopRite because that’s where they replenish their food supply. They wanted to be sure the stock matched the needs of their recipients.
Your food bank might have a specific place where they shop, so inquire if you would like to give a gift card.
When you get to the food pantry, knock on the door and they’ll probably lead you to a garage or warehouse type of building. They will roll out a cart where you can stack up all the goods that you collected.
They’ll weigh everything and let you know the total pounds, then give you a receipt.
Contact Info:
NORWESCAP Thrift Store and Food Bank
201 Broad St
Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
(908) 454-4322
Where Else to Donate Food:
Flemington Area Food Pantry
154 R. 31 North
Flemington, NJ
908 778 5568
A new food bank has opened in Port Colden, Washington NJ in Warren County.
Information sourced from Jennifer Tavormina, Executive Director of the Open Cupboard Food Pantry of Clinton, NJ.
The Washington Basket
386 East Washington Ave.
Washington, NJ
2022 Food Drive Participating Businesses:
Harmony Greenhouses
851 Harmony Station Rd.
Phillipsburg, NJ
908 213 3636
Marshall’s Garage
635 Water St.
Belvidere, NJ
908 475 1509
Buckhorn Creek Primitives
(Vendor at The Cellar Door)
400 Water St.
Belvidere, NJ
908 310 5772
Thank You for Your Kindness, and Happy Thanksgiving.
With gratitude from Dina at Healthy Happy NJ.
For questions about putting together a local fundraiser or if you need help with your writing or marketing tasks, contact healthyhappynj @ gmail .com (no spaces).