MORRIS COUNTY — 26th Legislative District State Senate candidate Christine Clarke dropped off 604 pounds of donated food to five food pantries around her district, after her ‘Petitions and Pantries’ drive to support food-insecure constituents while collecting signatures for her ballot petition to represent the 26th District.
“It’s important that we have our eyes on those who need us most as we move forward campaigning for the kind of servant leadership we want in the statehouse, and that includes supporting our local food pantries. It’s important that we help children sleep at night with full bellies and give parents the reassurance that New Jersey is not just supportive but empathetic during these difficult times,” said Clarke.
The donations collected during Clarke’s “Petitions and Pantries” signature drive events were split to benefit five food pantries in the district: Interfaith Food Pantry in Morris Plains, the Parsippany Emergency Food Pantry at the Parsippany Community Center, the Lincoln Park Food Pantry in Lincoln Park, the pantry at West Milford Presbyterian Church in West Milford, and the pantry at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Verona. This follows the work Clarke did in her personal capacity as a mother and activist supporting food pantries in her hometown of Jefferson after recovering from covid-19 herself in 2020, as more residents found themselves relying on food pantries for support.
Clarke is an environmental advocate, a grassroots organizer, and a mother-of-four running for State Senate to build the clean energy economy, improve healthcare, protect clean air and water, and lead with empathy and fiscal sense. She has lived in Jefferson for 16 years with her husband and four children.
The 26th District includes 13 communities in Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties: Butler, Fairfield, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Montville, Morris Plains, North Caldwell, Parsippany, Rockaway Township, Verona, West Caldwell, and West Milford.