Officials said 35,000 boxes will go out this month along with 83,000 turkeys, roasters and hams. Today alone, 3,500 boxes and 6,500 turkeys were distributed at the warehouse headquarters.
Each box includes Thanksgiving staples like cranberry sauce, gravy, macaroni and cheese and vegetables. The effort supports more than a million people in New Jersey who are food insecure.
“Not everyone thinks of New Jersey as a state with high food insecurity, but there’s over 1 million people in New Jersey that are food insecure,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, president and CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “November is always our busy month. This was especially a busy November. We will be distributing about 85,000 roasters, hams and turkeys this Thanksgiving.”
Thousands of volunteers helped this month, and the food bank is encouraging more to join in the new year.