By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
The Bradley Food Pantry is set to deliver a record number of holiday food baskets and toys Fri., Dec. 22.
“It’s been a busy, busy week,” said Director Linda Curtiss.
Curtiss said the pantry will be delivering turkeys and all the groceries to make a feast to over 800 families, who registered over 1100 children.
“That’s twice as many as we’ve every had before,” she said.
Curtiss said the families receiving the food baskets are regular clients of the pantry, but not all use the food pantry every month.
The number of families using the pantry monthly has increased since July.
“We used to have 600 to 650, now we have between 800 and 850,” she said.
Curtiss said there about 100 volunteers who help out at the pantry.
Over the past several weeks the pantry ran a toy drive for the clients.
She said the pantry spends about $30,000 each year on food, some of which is purchased from Fulfill, the food pantry in Neptune.
Other items cannot be bought there and Curtiss said if people want to donate food items instead of cash to the pantry in the coming year the items needed most are: cereal; protein beans, either dried or canned; peanut butter; macaroni and cheese and microwave meals.
Curtiss said it’s been a busy week, but members of the community are lending a hand.
“We called the police to direct traffic and a club from the school is coming over Thursday to pre fill bags,” she said. “Building these partnerships is important.”
The food pantry is located next to St. James Episcopal Church, 605 Fourth Avenue.
Call 732-775-0161 for more information.
