As the holidays approach and we begin to look forward to our Thanksgiving meals, it is important to remember that there are many in our community struggling with hunger. Most Americans have consistent, dependable access to nutritious food, and are what the USDA considers “food secure.” Unfortunately, the number of Americans who are food insecure is much higher than many of us realize and for those individuals, a hot Thanksgiving dinner is not something that can be taken for granted. One of the Junior League of Summit’s annual projects is to work with the community to bring Thanksgiving meals to local families dealing with hunger at this time of year.
According to the most recent “Map the Meal Gap” study by Feeding America, the national food insecurity rate in 2011 was 16.4%, which amounts to more than 50 million Americans. The national food insecurity rate for children was even higher - 22.4%, or 16.6 million children. In New Jersey, 14% of the population as whole, and 19% of children, deal with food insecurity. These figures are similar to those here in Union County, where 14.9% of the population overall and 16.8% of children struggle with hunger.
For several years now, the Junior League of Summit has worked with the schools in our service area to prepare “Thanks For Giving Baskets” for families dealing with food insecurity. Nearly all of the public schools in Summit, Chatham, New Providence and Berkeley Heights help support the Junior League’s efforts by holding food drives and collecting packaged foods during the month of November. The food collected is sorted and packed by Junior League members into grocery bags donated by Kings Food Markets. Members also donate funds so that every bag will include a voucher for a fresh turkey.
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The Junior League delivers the packed bags to Bridges Outreach, SHIP (Summit Helping its People), Interfaith Council for the Homeless of Union County and AIDS Resource Foundation for Children. These organizations then provide the bags to families in our area. Working together, we are able to provide Thanksgiving dinners to more than 300 local families. The Junior League of Summit is grateful to have this opportunity to reach out to community members this Thanksgiving season.
