Help Stuff the MEND Green Bean Bus June 25 at South Orange Public Library (PHOTOS)
Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity (MEND) will host a “Meet the Green Bean” event at the South Orange Public Library (65 Scotland Road, South Orange) on Monday, June 25, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
The Green Bean, a recently-converted school bus now serving as MEND’s new food collection vehicle and mobile pantry, will be on site to kick off the South Orange Public Library’s summer food drive. Stop by for a photo and tour of the bus, and bring along the following “most needed” items to donate to MEND food pantries:
- peanut butter,
- canned tuna, and
- raisins/dried fruit
In New Jersey, only 24% of children eligible for summer meals participate in a summer feeding program to replace school-provided meals. Last year, MEND food pantries served over 43,200 children, more children than ever before. MEND’s Summer Hunger Busters program focuses on providing nutritious child-friendly foods through MEND’s 17 Essex County food pantries and bridging the summer hunger gap. Visit The Green Bean and become a MEND Summer Hunger Buster, and help us provide more food to local families over the summer months!
MEND has been providing hunger relief to Essex County residents through its interfaith network of 17 food pantries since 1980. MEND works to alleviate hunger by providing fresh and healthy food, funds, volunteers, and a collaborative forum for its member pantries, so that they may share ideas and resources, and make a greater impact on the communities they serve. MEND also advocates for policies to eliminate food insecurity and to improve the lives of the food pantry patrons. MEND pantries are located in Bloomfield, East Orange, Irvington, Maplewood, Montclair, Newark, Orange, South Orange and West Orange.
More information about MEND is available at https://mendnj.org/. Visit MEND’s Facebook page for more “Meet the Green Bean” event details, and follow @MEND.Green.Bean on Instagram.
Photos of the pre-decorated Green Bean courtesy of Joy Yagid: