Nov 11
9
Getting into High Gear for the Holidays
Everyone at the Food Bank of South Jersey is very busy these days. It’s harvest season, so we are in overdrive trying to ensure that hungry people in south Jersey have food for the holidays. With the holidays come cooler temperatures and greater obstacles to dinner. Aside from flukes like today’s beautiful weather, people have to start contending with the cost of heating homes and increased dependency on cars to buy groceries.
This Wednesday I offer you some links from the community perspective, since family and neighbors are what holiday season is all about.
1) First up, from Civil Eats, On Food Justice: An Interview with Slow Food’s Josh Viertel.
Bittman says, “Everyone should be engaged in building a world where it’s not easier to feed our kids Froot Loops than it is to feed them fruit. Whether that’s a matter of price, access, or knowledge.”
2) Next up, New Jersey has the nation’s third largest Indian population. Many Hindus celebrate Diwali through mid-November. Read about this awesome holiday at Philly.com: Today Hindus Celebrate Diwali, vitory over evil.
3) You may have heard about our recent press conference here at the Food Bank of South Jersey. Unfortunately, we have seen need amongst our community increase by more than 70% over the last year. Couple that with the $300,000 shortfall we are facing, and it’s tough times over here. As multimedia coordinator, I’m sitting here thinking to myself, Okay, strengthen the message. You work behind a computer, but words have power. Harness that power. But with what? And then it dawns on me: Facebook, silly! Use Facebook to make a holiday wish that will help buy holiday meals. So take a gander at the holiday wish I’ve created over at Facebook Causes. It’s a symbolic effort; let’s rally the interwebs to fight south Jersey hunger.
4) Last piece of business from the food bank… no link, though. The warehouse will be open on Saturday, November 19th from 9am to 12pm. We are opening our [bay] doors to receive any food donations you and yours would like to contribute the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
