WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange township employees showed up in force with Mayor Robert Parisi on Sept. 21 at the Essex Green ShopRite to raise awareness of hunger and hunger insecurity in Essex County.
In addition to Parisi, the contingent included business administrator Jack Sayers, police Chief James Abbott, fire Chief Pete Smeraldo, township clerk Karen Carnevale, health Officer Theresa de Nova and secretary Rose de Sena, in addition to, from the West Orange Fire Department, Capt. George Hess and firefighters Joseph DeLuise and Patrick McGovern.
September was Hunger Awareness month and the Essex Green store is part of the ShopRite Partners in Caring network that raises money to provide grants to local food pantries. Holy Trinity-West Orange Food Pantry, located at 315 Main St. in West Orange, is the recipient of a $1,000 Partners in Caring grant.
“Hunger insecurity is a serious issue in Essex County,” food pantry administrator Cynthia Cumming said in a press release. “18.6 percent of the population in Essex County does not know if they will get three meals a day, and that includes children, senior citizens and disabled individuals. Despite the mammoth and ongoing effort, food pantries nationally provide less than 10 percent of food distributed to those in need. But you do what you can, because it’s unfathomable than anyone in our country doesn’t get enough to eat.”
Following the ribbon cutting with ShopRite manager Frank Rizzo, the team took to the checkout lanes to bag groceries for customers.
Parisi was complimented on his bagging by a former West Orange resident. “What a nice young man,” said the customer, “and how wonderful that they are doing this to help out the community.”
Find out more about Shoprite’s Partners in Caring program at http://shopritepartnersincaring.org/. Find out more about the Holy Trinity-West Orange Food Pantry at https://www.facebook.com/HolyTrinityWestOrangeFoodPantry/?ref=bookmarks.
Photos Courtesy of Christopher Babinski
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