By DON STINE
The Neptune Senior Citizen Center is paying it forward by holding a food drive to benefit the Fulfill food bank on Wed., May 26. May is Older Americans Month and the theme this year is community ties of strength.
“Nothing more exemplified the need for strong communities than the pandemic. Fulfill was really critical to us, especially in the early days when seniors would not go out to shop or they found food hard to find. Many had never experienced that before,” Senior Center Director Randy Bishop said.
Since Fulfill (formerly the FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties) was such an integral part in helping Neptune seniors during these hard times, it only makes sense to repay the favor, Bishop said.
“It shows that we are both members of the same community. This is the first time the senior center has needed to use Fulfil, other than to emergency stock our own pantry. And the food drive is a way to say thank you,” he said.
Food can be dropped off at the Neptune Senior Center, 1607 Route 33, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wed., May 26.
“People can stay in their cars and we will have volunteers get the food out of their car and then we will send it to Fulfill on Thursday,” Bishop said.
Food is also being collected at the municipal building and the High School is having a class competition to see who can raise the most food donations.
Older Americans Month is an annual event dating back to 1963, when President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month. It was later renamed Older Americans Month, honoring older Americans and celebrating their contributions to our communities and our nation.
