Essex County will have an emergency food distribution beginning at on Thursday, June 18, at Colgate Park in West Orange to help families negatively impacted by the coronavirus. The event is being co-sponsored by St. Barnabas Medical Center. The 1,000 boxes of food that will be distributed are meant to benefit families who have been forced out of work and are not able to afford food. Colgate Park is located at 60½ Cherry Street in West Orange and the food distribution will be held rain or shine.
Residents who want to take advantage of this free giveaway should enter the parking lot by making a right turn from Cherry Street. Left turns from Cherry Street will not be allowed. Residents waiting to the enter the site should line up along Main Street and Harrison Avenue before turning right onto Cherry Street. In addition, residents are asked to not arrive to the site until 8 a.m. Vehicles that arrive before 8 a.m. will be asked to leave. This is being done to allow for normal traffic flow through the area and prevent any traffic back-ups from being created.
The emergency food boxes contain enough food to provide about 40 meals. They consist of a variety of non-perishable food such as oatmeal, rice, fruit, peanut butter, jelly, shelf stable milk and canned vegetables, chili, soup and ravioli. Items may vary based upon their availability. Each box weighs about 35 pounds. Residents walking to the site are encouraged to bring their own cart to carry the box home.
The emergency food boxes will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. When residents arrive at the site by car, they are being asked to keep their windows rolled up and to open their trunk. Volunteers will place one emergency food box into each vehicle. Residents who are walking to the site are required to wear a face covering. Residents walking to the site will receive one box.
Buses will not be allowed to enter.
