Dear Editor:
I have been a Check-Out Hunger volunteer for approximately eight years. This year after reading about the rising need for food assistance at emergency pantries throughout our state, becoming a volunteer has taken on a whole new meaning. As the economy continues to falter and more people have had their hours cut or lost their jobs altogether, emergency food providers are having an increasingly difficult time meeting the need.
Check-Out Hunger is an easy way for all of us to help low-income people right here in New Jersey who are struggling to pay for housing and healthcare and still have money left to feed their families. From now until the end of the year, at most supermarkets in the state, shoppers can make a $1, $3 or $5 donation at the check-out aisle and feel comfortable knowing that 100 percent of their donation will really go to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey to help feed hungry people. Every dollar donated to the FoodBank represents $10 worth of food distributed to people in need.
I would like to applaud the efforts of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the hundreds of local charitable programs they serve, as well as the supermarket industry and the countless dedicated volunteers who are working together to fight hunger in our state. The next time you go shopping for groceries, please take moment to help someone in need and Check-Out Hunger. It’s easy and it really does make a difference.
Eileen Miller