Would You Miss One Meal, So Others Don't Have To?
Let’s have some fun this Thanksgiving and fight hunger in South Jersey together! There has been a 50% increase in demand for food assistance in South Jersey since the onset of COVID-19. Since March, we have distributed nearly 100,000 pounds of food to over 2,000 people, as well as a multitude of baby and household items. Families are truly struggling to make ends meet and they need our help now! From now until Thanksgiving the South Jersey Dream Center is hosting a virtual fundraiser called Miss-A-Meal with a goal of raising $25,000 to help families in need! Would you miss one meal, so others don't have to?
Participating is easy…
Miss ONE meal before Thanksgiving and pick something fun to do instead
Post a photo or video of what you did on your social media, use the caption below, and tag the South Jersey Dream Center.
Make a donation of any amount to the Dream Center here: https://bit.ly/Miss-a-MealSJDC
Challenge three friends to do the same!
Sample Caption: I’m missing a meal so others don't have to, will you do the same? Here's what I did instead! By missing a meal and making a donation, I'm joining the South Jersey Dream Center in the fight against hunger in South Jersey. Will you join us too? Make a donation here: https://bit.ly/Miss-a-MealSJDC. Thank you!
Deptford Mall "Million Meals Challenge"
The Deptford Mall reached out to us to host a Food Drive on behalf of the families we serve at the Dream Center as part of their "Million Meals Challenge" event. Macerich properties from coast-to-coast joined together to support local community food banks... and the Deptford Mall chose us to receive all their food donations! This is huge! Their Drive Thru Food Drive on September 12th and food donations made inside the mall have provided over 750 pounds (and counting) of groceries for local families in need. It gets even better...they also asked us to provide a link to our Dream Center website with a Virtual Food Drive for people who would rather give a financial donation. It has been such a wonderful blessing, that Lori Belsito, Senior Marketing Manager, asked us if they could continue the Virtual Food Drive throughout the holiday season. Giving to the Virtual Food Drive is easy! Go to our Virtual Food Drive page and select how many meals you would like to provide with your financial donation. Thanks so much for your generosity.
Herr Foods, United Way, and a Faithful Friend
Thanks to our amazing partners, we were able to increase our much needed refrigeration and freezer apace. We love our new commercial refrigerator (left) that was purchased with the help of a $1000 grant from the Herr Foods Foundation. Executive Director, Gene Herr, said that our grant application and mission "stood out" among many. He also put us in touch with Michael Herr, their Community Outreach Specialist, who we asked to donate 120 family size bags of chips to the Woodbury Hispanic Family Center Back to School event. Our new commercial freezer purchased with the help of funds received through the United Way of Gloucester County "Live United" Mini-Grant series came just in time for "turkey season" and beyond. The United Way has been a long-time friend and partner to the Dream Center in meeting the needs of local families. Both of these purchases would not have been possible without the additional funds from donated by our faithful friend and Monthly Partner, Deirdre Bichsel, who has been with us since we began in 2010!
“Overjoyed by the Help”
I just want to thank you again for your generosity and support in helping me aid some of Woodbury’s underprivileged families during these trying times. Your organization has truly been a blessing to our Woodbury families and families elsewhere. With your help, I was able to help three awesome families with food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. They were on the verge of tears and overjoyed by the help. The Woodbury School District and families we serve are very appreciative of your assistance during these tough times. Thanks again for being the silver lining on cloudy days for so many families and for making the world a better place for us all.
Sadeara White, MSW
School Social Worker/BEST Program Counselor
Woodbury City Public Schools
News
Another Habitat for Humanity House Dedication
It was an honor to celebrate with the Souini family and the Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity in October as they dedicated the 42nd home in our area. We were there with groceries galore to help fill their new kitchen cabinets, freezer and fridge. We were also privileged to received a grand tour from their two children. What a day!
Performance Food Group Delivers
14 pallets of non-perishable food items that is! They even went over the top and donated a much needed hydraulic pallet mover too. We want to thank one of our volunteer pick up and delivery drivers, Nate Chandler, for connecting us with Performance Food Group who consistently pass along product to us. Nate brings with him 30 years of logistics experience. He has been a wonderful blessing to the Dream Center in many ways.
