The spread of COVID-19 has threatened our local restaurant industry and the food security of many living in Asbury Park who live below the poverty level.
Asbury Park Dinner Table, a nonprofit corporation, launched this week supports the hyper-local food service community while feeding Asbury Park families. With many local families already dealing with food insecurity now needing to provide extra meals to kids home from school and college closures, as well as those in various industries who have lost their jobs, the need for dinner meals is critical.
The initiative is simple: Donate online to AP Dinner Table, who will pay local restaurants to make specially-packaged dinner meals and deliver them to locations for food insecure families to “grab and go.” APDT is hoping to begin serving daily dinner meals starting Wednesday, March 18th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm (operating hours may change).
The distribution points are at Second Baptist Church at 124 Atkins Ave., St. Stephen’s AME Zion Church at 1001 Springwood Ave., and United Fellowship Baptist Church at 603 3rd Ave.
“Our hard working local restaurant owners and their employees do more than just make food. They are also major employers in town and the livelihood of many of our neighbors,” says Kathy Kelly, co- chair of the Asbury Park Business Committee.
“Thirty dollars will fund restaurants to produce about three dinner meals for people in need,” said APDT co-founder Julie Andreola. “Locals helping locals feed locals – it’s what Asbury Park is all about.”
“Our love of Asbury Park is marrow-deep,” said co-founder Giuseppe Grillo. “APDT was created to do something positive in the midst of this crisis – in this case, support our restaurants and feed dinner to people in need.”
Reverend Semaj Vanzant of Second Baptist Church said, “It is vital that in the time of need, we band together to ‘be our brothers/sisters keeper.’ I am so glad church and community could join together to make sure families are fed in this time of crisis.”
To donate or for more information on Asbury Park Dinner Table, go to facebook.com/APDinnerTable/ or go to the organization’s PayPal donation page:
paypal.me/apdinnertable .
