PARSIPPANY — Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany held a free food distribution on Sunday, March 14 at Parsippany High School.
Over the weekend Kiwanis members and volunteers gave out over 50,000 pounds of food feeding over 1250 families. Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany, Kiwanis Club of Greater Roxbury, Kiwanis Club of Tri-Town, Kiwanis Club of Clifton, Kiwanis Club of South Orange Maplewood, and Kiwanis Club of Asbury Park all participated in the event.
In Parsippany, the Parsippany High School and Parsippany Hills High School Key Club members along with their advisors, Amy Letsch, Lindsay Hulin and Kristine Bushong help organize the food, pack the boxes and place the food in vehicles as they pulled up to the school to receive food. Other Kiwanis members from Parsippany, Roxbury, and Tri-Town, along with community leaders help with the distribution of the food.
The Parsippany High School Key Club student volunteers included Dea Ellis, Aesha Shah, Violette Hauge, Shagun Singh, Rhea Balani, Landen Gilliard, Varshini Chennupati, and Yukta Nyati.
The Parsippany Hills High School Key club student volunteers included Hannah Mow, Kierra Duffy, Melissa Trujillo, Lourdes Ignacio, and Ava Ignacio.
After the long line of vehicles ended, Frank Cahill and Cain Pope distributed some leftover food to Market Street Mission and Ms. Letsch and Ms. Hulin distributed some food to Loaves and Fishes, Boonton.
“The USDA estimates that in 2018, about 774,860 people, including 219,760 children, in New Jersey were food insecure. That means one in 11 individuals (8.7%) and one in nine children (11.3%) live in homes without consistent access to adequate food for everyone to live healthy, active lives,” said Frank Cahill, Lt. Governor Kiwanis Division 9.
“The economic damage wrought by mass layoffs and business closures is expected to persist long after vaccines become widely available and that means demand for food assistance will remain at the current high level for months or years to come,” said Laura Wohland, President Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany.
“These numbers have increased drastically with families struggling during the pandemic,” said Cain Pope, President of Kiwanis Club of Greater Roxbury, and coordinator of the food distribution program.
“It is amazing to see the Asbury Park community come together in a time of need. Asbury Park should be proud for rising to the occasion to #FeedAP during a global pandemic,” Lt. Gov-Elect [Division 5] and Club Secretary Martin Slezak, explained. “We look forward to continuing to serve our community on the move forward and we thank all who have donated and supported this initiative.”
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.
To view our recent YouTube video of previous Food Distributions click here.
Interested in learning more about the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany, contact President Laura Wohland, by emailing law4pres@gmail.com. Click here to view the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany website.
For additional information on Food Distributions contact Frank Cahill at (862) 346-5100 or Project Coordinator Cain Pope at (201) 300-7654.
