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Community Corner

Bloomfield Participates in Annual Essex County Walk to End Hunger

March in Newark to benefit 22 emergency food pantries in the area

Members representing Bloomfield food pantries were among the concerned students, church-goers and outreach workers who gathered in Newark Friday as part of the Annual Essex County Walk to End Hunger. 

With banners on full display, the group walked from Washington Park down Broad Street before stopping for brief remarks from Dianne Riley, NJ Food Bank's director of advocacy, and Liza Pitz, advocacy and outreach director for the NJ Anti-Hunger Coalition, which includes organizations throughout Essex County.

Pitz focused her message on the future of the federal food stamp program, emphasizing the need to keep pressure on elected representatives who are facing tough budget cuts in Washington DC.

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“The food stamp program is the number one anti-hunger program in the U.S.,” she said. “What’s happening right now in Washington will have a direct impact on the people you serve every day. Our Congress wants to make cuts to our food stamp program to try to balance the budget.”

The march was sponsored by Catholic Charity and Emergency Food and Nutrition Network and Meeting Needs with Dignity (MEND) in an effort to raise money for 22 emergency food pantries in the area.     

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Atiya Gordan, a volunteer at the Beth Rehoboth Food Pantry in Bloomfield, said pantries are still carrying on the business of feeding the hungry in these tough times.

“We're doing the best that we can," she said. "A lot of people come to us for food."  

Carmella Tirondola, a Bloomfield resident and client of Beth Rehoboth Food Pantry, explained why the services provided by these organizations are important to those needing a helping hand.

“I lost my job and then I had surgery," she said. "My unemployment ran out and I couldn’t pay rent and eat. And my Social Security goes to my rent.” 

When asked what she would do without the help she receives from the food pantry, she replied: “Well, from 180 pounds I would go down to about 90 pounds. It’s an extreme diet to anyone who cannot afford it.”

More information about Pantries located in Bloomfield, NJ:

BETHEL REHOBOTH FOOD PANTRY AND MEAL CENTER
55 Lawrence Street
Phone: 973-566-9100
Hours: Food Pantry - 2nd & 4th Sat: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; 1st & 3rd Thurs: 6-7 p.m.

BLOOMFIELD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ON THE GREEN
147 Broad St.
Phone: 973-743-1796

Hours: Wed & Fri: 9:30-11 a.m.

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