Community Corner

South Brunswick Food Pantry in Need of Help as Numbers Rise

Social Services is averaging 15 families a week, as many people are still out of work, causing alarmingly low levels of food on Pantry shelves.

In the past, the summer months have typically been a slow time of year for the South Brunswick Social Services Department. However, this year the need from the less fortunate in South Brunswick has continued to rise and has caused the Food Pantry's shelves to be depleted to alarmingly low levels.

"I've been seeing 15 families a week regularly and that's pretty unusual for the summer," said Social Services Director LouAnne Wolf. "It's been pretty consistent the past couple of months. I don't think the economy has improved like people think it has, or how it should have."

The stock of food in the pantry are at the lowest levels they have been in months, Wolf said, which is an unfortunate development leading up to the holiday season, when donations typically rise.

Find out what's happening in South Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's scary and disconcerting," she said. "The fact that we're low on vegetables says it all. Since Christmas there have been one or two items we were low on, but not like this. Now we have entire shelves that are emptying."

As the Social Services office will be closed from Aug. 19 to Sept. 6, the need to provide food aid to the less fortunate is even more critical. It's asked that anyone willing to donate food does so by Aug. 18.

Find out what's happening in South Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Food Pantry is completely out of the following items:

  • Coffee
  • Rice
  • Boxed Potatoes
  • Oatmeal
  • Personal Products (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc.)

The following items are at very low levels:

  • Canned vegetables (no corn)
  • Boxed macaroni and cheese
  • Cereal
  • Drinks: water, juice boxes, bottled juice
  • Parmalot/boxed milk

Social Services is also in the early stages of their annual backpack and school supply drive for children from families in need, as the start of a new school year approaches rapidly. Wolf said due to staffing cuts, there are limited hours in which she has to sort the materials, so it's asked anyone donating school supplies does so in a complete backpack, instead of dropping off individual supplies.

"We have a couple of groups that usually do backpack drives, but I haven't heard from any of them yet," she said. "I've heard from a few individuals who are going to drop off backpacks with supplies, but not the larger groups like in the past few years."

Wolf said Social Services typically provides backpacks and supplies for about 50 to 75 kids in elementary school through high school. It's asked that anyone willing to help provide backpacks and supplies for children from less fortunate families does so by Aug. 16.

"There are still so many people in our community out of work or living hand-to-mouth," Wolf said.

For more information and to donate food or supplies to the South Brunswick Food Pantry call 732-329-4000 ext. 7674.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here