Woodbine Food Bank Needs Donations

WOODBINE—Wednesday is not food day at St Casimir’s Food Bank but every day brings hunger to the many needy families of the area that have come to depend upon the free food distributed through the Woodbine facility.
Sara Bartleson has managed the food bank and thrift store for 23 years and she estimates that an average 450-500 people per month utilize the service she provides with the help of a handful of community volunteers.
“The numbers fluctuate depending on the time of year,” she said. “This time of year in Cape May County, with the holidays coming, the numbers go way up.”
Unfortunately, since the current economic slump began, donations on which the food bank largely depends to meet demand, have dropped off considerably.
“We officially service the area covered by the parish (St. Maxmillian Kolbe) but we don’t turn anyone away,” she said. That parish area covers Woodbine and parts of Dennis and Upper Townships.
Once every four or five weeks, a food delivery arrives in Woodbine from the Community Food Bank’s local branch in Egg Harbor Township. The Community FoodBank distributes 40 million pounds of food a year to more than 1,000 non-profit programs, as well as more than 400 programs served by its Partner Distribution Organizations (PDOs). Through combined efforts, they feed 900,000 hungry people in 18 New Jersey counties.
Impressive as those numbers sound, too often the amount of food coming off the truck through the back door loading area doesn’t satisfy the need streaming through the front door. So those absent donations from local civic groups and individuals are sorely missed.
When asked what she needed for the weeks ahead, Bartleson rattled off a veritable shopping list. “With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, we could use turkey fixings like stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce.”
Larger family groups are signing up for the program, she noted, indicating that this was occurring because families are moving back home together to economize. Economizing means relying more on less expensive food items.
The staples: canned meats and vegetables, juices, peanut butter and jelly, pasta and rice, soups, and macaroni and cheese.
“We also need items most people might not think about: baby food and personal care products,” she added.
Dennis Township Committee is aware of the problem and is asking residents to help.
“The food bank is running on empty,” Committeeman Al DiCicco said at the October 22 meeting. He asked fellow committee members if a box for donations could be placed in the township hall.
“We can also put an announcement on the website,” Committeeman Brian Teefy suggested.
If you have business at the municipal building in the weeks ahead, make it part of your business to bring along a few canned goods to fill the box and lend a neighbor a helping hand.