IRVINGTON, NJ — As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Irvington families and individuals continue to suffer. To help residents in need, Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss and Jerry Smith, senior pastor at Transcend Worship Center in Irvington, held a drive-up food distribution event on March 18.
“The drive-up giveaway came from the vision of the ministry and township,” Smith said on March 21. “We gave out 500 prepared meals for lunch and dinner, five days a week for months, to the community during the beginning of COVID.”
According to Smith, as more people heard about the food distributions, the need became greater and the demand grew.
“My role was to get with the mayor and tell him what was needed to make it happen,” Smith said, adding that none of this would have been possible without Vauss’ help.
To continue to meet the community’s need, the March 18 event was scheduled to be held rain or shine at Transcend Worship Center, with COVID-19 safety measures in place.
“The event has always been held outside,” Smith said. “We had the health department involved to make sure we were following all safety and health procedures. What was collected was milk, eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables.”
Supporting the community during such a difficult time requires buy-in from a lot of individuals and organizations.
“PCNYinthestreets and 4MYCITY were our sponsors,” Smith said. “In terms of volunteering, we have so many volunteers to help out, which included city officials on their off time, police and fire, church members, Transcend outreach team, and volunteers even from the community, such as Omega Psi Phi.”
According to Smith, since the very first food distribution at the beginning of the pandemic, people from the township government, Transcend and residents have donated their time, space and labor.
“We have provided this service about 12 times. It’s our desire to continue every Thursday for the next six weeks,” Smith said. “It’s an amazing feeling, because I believe this is what we are called to do. It takes a collective effort of the township, ministry and volunteers. But God continues to provide, and we give him all the glory. To see the gratitude and appreciation of the people gives me a sense of fulfillment.”
Vauss expressed gratitude to Smith and the church for their continued work to help Irvington residents in need.
“Throughout this pandemic, we strive to support the members of our community,” Vauss said on March 19. “I would like to thank Pastor Jerry Smith from Transcend Worship Center for always being a part of our community. This is the 10th or 11th time throughout this pandemic we have partnered to help people feed their families in our communities, from fresh fruit to nonperishable food. We always stand together in times of crisis to help our neighbors.”
Photos Courtesy of Tony Vauss
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