PARSIPPANY — Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany was among a number of North Jersey Kiwanis Clubs participating in distributing over 40,000 pounds to those in need on Saturday, May 15. Over 1,000 families with 1,426 children in eight towns received food containing fresh garden vegetables and other non-perishable items.
Joining in with Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany was Tri-Town Kiwanis Club, Kiwanis Club of Greater Roxbury, Kiwanis Club of South Orange/Maplewood, and Kiwanis Club of Bridgewater.
“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.
Since the beginning of this service project in December, Kiwanis Clubs have distributed over 149,400 pounds of food, serving 3,755 families with a retail cost of over $375,000. Kiwanis Club members either donated or raised funds to purchase the food to distribute to needy families during the pandemic.
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.
To find information on Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany click here.
To find out information on the next Kiwanis Food Distribution click here.