Newark Coronavirus Relief: Food Giveaway In Home Depot Lot – Newark, NJ Patch

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the United Community Corporation. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

United Community Corporation, Roosevelt Community 4U and Bessie Green Community, Inc. have held three massive food distribution events in the City of Newark serving over 70-thousand individuals since the coronavirus pandemic began its spread through New Jersey.

Despite the impact of the first three events, the trio of non-profit organizations recognize the continuous need for food assistance within Essex County and will hold their fourth large-scale food distribution event on Sunday, Oct. 18. The event will again be in the City of Newark, this time held in the Springfield Avenue Home Depot parking lot (399-443 Springfield Ave., Newark NJ 07103).

“The United Community Corporation is here to help and many in this community know that we’re here. We’re pressing forward to open our services up to the many others who are in need. We are eager to help,” United Community Corporation Executive Director Craig Mainor said. “All three organizations running this event are mission-driven. The fact that we can put together successful events where people are fed, volunteers show up and the organizations work together is a testament to the spirit of the city.”

The Home Depot parking lot is the fourth location throughout Newark that has hosted the event. It was previously held at West Side Park, Edison Place Parking Lot and most recently at Barringer High School on Aug. 30. The Barringer High School distribution serviced over 23-thousand individuals in-need.

Cars should enter the parking lot through the Bergen Street entrance for the drive-thru distribution. Walk-in clients are also welcome. Face coverings are required for all in attendance. Anyone interested in volunteering can do so by signing up online.

“The Jewish nation recently celebrated the holiday of Sukkot,” Roosevelt Community 4U founder Rabbi Moshe Hezrony said. “This holiday is about different people coming together. The holiday emphasizes the importance of unity amongst all of mankind through sitting together under the roof of a temporary hut. It is up to us to internalize the message of Sukkot and live in unity. Since we all have something unique, we complement one another and this unity will enable us to live in a brighter world filled with goodness and kindness.”

The three non-profit organizations partnered with the Newark Housing Authority, Home Depot and Central Ward Councilwoman LaMonica R. McIver for this event, which will distribute both perishable and non-perishable food and beverages to individuals and families in need.

“On behalf of the Newark Housing Authority, we are certainly excited to partner with Bessie Green Community, Inc., United Community Corporation and Roosevelt Community 4U to serve our communities in the great City of Newark,” the Newark Housing Authority directors said.

The coronavirus hit Essex County hard with over 21-thousand cases – ranking it the second-worst hit county in New Jersey. The county’s 1,901 deaths rank the most in the state according to NJ.com’s coronavirus tracker. At the height of the pandemic, the unemployment rate rose from 4.60-percent in March to 16.80-percent in April and has not dropped below 13.60-percent since.

These three organizations quickly recognized the increased need for food assistance and came together to serve.

“We are in the middle of a pandemic so having an event at this size being in areas that people can get to without endangering themselves or their families is key,” Mainor said. “The amazing thing about this is that there are two and sometimes more organizations that are able to pull together to make this happen at several locations.”

Bessie Green Board of Directors president Jeanette Turner added, “Bessie Green Community, through community outreach and a commitment to the residents of Newark, is once again providing much-needed food to people impacted by COVID-19.”

Events like this allow the United Community Corporation, which has served Newark since 1964, to reach clients about its various service offerings. Aimed with a mission of moving people from dependency to self-sufficiency, the community action agency is multidimensional with a 24-hour emergency shelter, a food pantry that served over 50,000 meals in August alone, housing/rental/energy assistance programs and youth development programs.

“When people come for food, chances are that there are other needs that they have that we could provide,” Mainor said. “If you don’t have enough money to put food on your table, chances are that you can’t pay your rent or need your electric bill to be taken care of. The draw is the food, but the benefit is what else can we do to help you.”

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

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