To the Editor:
Last week, the Verona Junior Woman’s Club in conjunction with King’s Supermarkets spearheaded the “Verona Fights Hunger” event, a week-long food drive that involved Verona’s schools, churches, organizations, local businesses and residents. The results of this initiative were unprecedented, with a total of over 1,600 bags of groceries donated and delivered to our pantry. I attended the final event at town hall last Saturday and it was nothing short of amazing to see so many people coming with food!
Our pantry serves approximately 1,000 households that are registered for various food programs. We make 200 food deliveries each week to homebound, elderly and handicapped people who are unable to get out to purchase food. We also provide clothing, medical screenings, nutritional supplements and other services.
Sadly, our numbers are increasing with an average of 25 new households registering for assistance each month. We receive no state or federal funding so donations are critical in order for us to keep up with the need. The people of Verona recognized that people in their town and neighboring communities were in need and they took action on a large scale, a true testament to the warm and caring nature of their community.
On behalf of the Human Needs Food Pantry, our Board of Trustees and the wonderful people we serve, I thank everyone involved for this monumental act of charity. Special thanks to Robyn Casella and Amanda Weil, the Junior Woman’s Club organizers, Kings Supermarket Store manager Anthony Sanfillipo, King’s Marketing manager Julie Bannon, the Verona Mayor and Council and all those too numerous to mention who participated or donated.
Finally, we thank Casella Moving Company, who provided trucks, transported the food to our facility and helped us get it into our building. The generosity and commitment to helping others you all exhibited will help us greatly in our mission of assisting our neighbors in need.
Mike Bruno
Executive Director
Human Needs Food Pantry
