Community Corner
Borough Beeswax: Buzzing About Food Insecurity
As corporate interests push the holiday shopping season ever earlier, warnings from the Food Bank of South Jersey indicate that for some families, the bare necessities will be as much as in demand this year as any gift.
The Food Bank of South Jersey is facing a significant shortfall in both material and financial donations, . Borough Beeswax spoke with Collingswood residents about their knowledge of the situation and what, if any, steps they thought they could take to help.
“I think it’s indicative of what’s been going on across the country,” said Andrew Quietmeyer, a Delaware law student. “It’s your neighbors in need, not random strangers.”
Quietmeyer and his companion, a UMDNJ-Stratford medical student, agreed that their limited awareness of the issue was another problem that the South Jersey Food Bank must overcome. An organization like Philabundance, which has greater name recognition, they said, may face fewer shortfalls in times of limited donations.
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“It doesn’t take much to spare a couple cans,” Quietmeyer said.
Kelly Summers of Cherry Hill, who declined to be photographed for this story, said she gives a dollar to food charity donations every time she hits the check-out at Wegmans.
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“I just can’t say no,” Summers said. “It’s food. There are people who need it.”
Michael Curry of Crestmont Avenue said he’d heard about the story. To him, the sadness of the tale is really rooted in its familiarity.
“The reason’s really obvious,” Curry said. “People’s charitable contributions are pared down because people are having a hard time feeding their own families, paying their bills, keeping their homes heated.”
However much “everyone professes” to be concerned about the welfare of his or her neighbors, Curry said wryly, “Self-preservation is that basic instinct that’s gotten us into this whole terrible mess.”
Others offered a slightly more optimistic appraisal of the circumstances.
“Things are starting to turn around, but people still have to give,” said Jason, an Audubon resident.
“We do the bags on the porch,” said his companion, Christina, which she believes are collected by Audubon Boy Scouts for local food banks. “We’ll always do that.”
Dan Hall of Curtis Avenue said that the big, unanswered question to his thinking is, “What’s Collingswood as a town doing?”
“It’s such a good community that latches onto good causes,” he said. “I’m sure the town would do something.”
The Pennsauken-headquartered Food Bank of South Jersey accepts donations weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1501 John Tipton Blvd. Online contributions may be made 24 hours a day at its website.
Need food? Call the NJ 211 service at 877-652-1148 to locate a warehouse near you.
