MORRIS COUNTY — Table of Hope, with the support of local officials and other organizations serving Morris County, will be holding another food distribution event at County College of Morris (CCM) on Saturday, August 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Parking Lot 1 on the CCM campus.

Along with distributing food, backpacks with school supplies will be available for children to help them start their year off strong. All Morris County residents are welcome to come for the distribution. Visitors are asked to use the college’s Dover Chester Road entrance. Face coverings are required for everyone who comes to campus.

The distribution will provide individuals and families with fresh produce, meat, dairy, canned goods, and other groceries. It will operate as a contactless drive-through event with cars stopping at different food stations categorized by food type where volunteers will place bags or boxes into automobile trunks. There also will be a station to distribute backpacks with school supplies. CCM hosted a similar event for Table of Hope this past June. Serving as volunteers and welcoming speakers at that event were New Jersey First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, State Senator Anthony M. Bucco, and Freeholders John Krickus and Stephen Shaw.

Shortly after COVID-19 struck, Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams, pastor of Bethel Church of Morristown, converted the Table of Hope bus that was used to pick up food so it could be utilized for mobile food distribution. Williams is the founder of the Spring Street Community Development Corporation that operates Table of Hope and other programs to improve the lives of individuals and families in Morris County.

Assisting Table of Hope with this latest distribution are Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, a CCM graduate, the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and approximately 40 volunteers, including numerous CCM employees and students. Serving as sponsors are the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, Morris Habitat for Humanity, the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, Market Street Mission, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Pi Theta Omega Chapter, Valley Bank, and Alstede Farms.

“We are delighted to partner with CCM so that we can reach a greater number of Morris County residents,” said Williams.

“While the past five months have been difficult and challenging for so many, it’s also been so very heartwarming to see how the Morris County community has come together to help those in need,” said Dr. Anthony J. Iacono, CCM president. “The CCM community is proud to call Morris County home. We’re delighted to partner once again with Table of Hope and Morris County’s Freeholders, Chamber of Commerce, Sherriff’s Office, and others to host this event, along with providing staff and students to serve as volunteers. As community organizations, we are all committed to doing all we can to strengthen the communities we serve.”

“Morris County is blessed to have folks who don’t hesitate to pull together when others are in need, during this time as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers,” said Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon. “I am honored and humbled to work with County College of Morris, its President Dr. Anthony Iacono, Table of Hope and Rev. Sidney Williams and his wife, Teresa, and the Morris County Board of Freeholders for a second time on easing the burden on families by providing food to them.”

“The great work being done by Table of Hope and other food pantries in Morris County has been exemplary,” said Morris County Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo, liaison to the county’s Human Services agencies. “Without their dedication, many people in our county, who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, would be hard-pressed to feed their families. We strongly back their efforts.”

In March, Table of Hope began operating weekly mobile food distribution programs in Morristown, Parsippany, and Dover, along with additional grocery supply events in other Morris County communities. Prior to COVID-19, its pantry in Morristown served about 65 people weekly. The number now being served each week at each mobile distribution event averages 500 to 600, reports Teresa Williams, executive director of the Spring Street Community Development Center. To date, more than 18,500 individuals and families have been helped and over 899,300 pounds of food has been distributed.

Table of Hope also operates a soup kitchen that during the pandemic has continued to provide dinners as take-out service.  Table of Hope receives food from the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside, local farms, and foodservice companies. To volunteer or make a donation, visit the Spring Street CDC by clicking here.

Along with Table of Hope, numerous other services are available to assist residents in Morris County’s 39 municipalities who are in need of food. A list of available food services, including food pantries, volunteer shopper organizations, meal delivery services, and take-out meal services click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of Freeholders have passed a resolution unanimously asking the Governor and state Legislature to reject a primarily mail-in voting system for the November General Election, and to consider safe COVID-19 options for in-person voting, instead.

The freeholders contend the practice of an almost-100-percent mail-in-ballot election is fraught with concerns about voter fraud, voter disenfranchisement, postal delivery delays, a significant increase in election costs, and reliance on a flawed statewide voter/DMV computer registration database, plus significant delays in counting ballots.

Sending out 220,000 mail-in ballots for the July primary election resulted in a cost Morris County about $1.1 million, or an $807,000 increase compared to the 2019 primary election. Mailing an expected 370,000 ballots for the November election could almost double that cost and offer more election problems.

“Many of our residents are very upset about mail-in balloting, and have expressed their disdain about losing their choice on how to vote,’’ said Freeholder Director Deborah Smith. “The Board of Freeholders feel strongly that voter “choice” should refer to “how” to vote, not just “who” to vote for in a given election cycle.’’

Rather than mail-in balloting, the freeholders are urging the state to utilize in-person machine voting, with consideration of multiple days of voting and/or use of outdoor spaces for added safety, in conjunction with mail-in balloting.

The freeholders urge smart alternatives for in-person voting that would provide more opportunities and more days to vote, and more locations to safely vote. These options easily could accommodate the need to face coverings and social distancing.

The freeholders, in their resolution, noted that well before the COVID-19 pandemic, New Jersey law already permitted voting by mail, if a resident requested it. So, voters who are even remotely concerned about in-person voting already have the option to request a mail-in ballot, thereby enhancing voter choice.

The freeholders have sent their resolution to Gov. Phil Murphy, New Jersey Secretary of State; President of the State Senate; Speaker of the Assembly; the Morris County legislative delegation, New Jersey Association of Counties, and all other boards of freeholders across the state.