HILLSDALE, N.J.—Helping Hand Food Pantry Turkey Drive 2020 took in a flock of approximately 400 donated frozen turkeys and an unprecedented haul of side dishes and other food donations.
The event, at Hillsdale United Methodist Church, which hosts the pantry as a mission, kept volunteers of all ages busy on Nov. 21; donors showed up Nov. 22 as well to add to the largesse.
Coordinator Mark Loblanco told Pascack Press at the event the turkeys would be given out for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“During this uncertain time, [the drive] renews my faith in humanity. It was overwhelming to see multiple turkeys, bags of food, gift cards and donations being dropped dropped off. It was great to watch the youth volunteers work with adult volunteers in our community,” he said.
In addition to Helping Hand Food Pantry clients, organizations getting turkeys are Zion Lutheran Church in Westwood, Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Westwood, Hillsdale House, St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, and Parkside Community Church in Westwood.
The pantry serves the towns of Emerson, Hillsdale, Oradell, Montvale, Washington Township, Westwood and Woodcliff Lake.
Volunteer groups turned out to make the drive a success: Hillsdale PBA, Helping Hand Food Pantry Board of Trustees, the Westwood Regional High School football team, and area middle and high school students.
Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) presented a certificate of recognition to the church, and trustees Lois and Roy Kohan, founders of the pantry, and helped unload turkeys from a procession of cars and trucks.
Iron Horse Restaurant and Davey’s Locker were storing all the additional turkeys. Council President Zoltán Horváth helped as well, and photographed the magic for the Hillsdale Happenings Facebook page.
Gottheimer said, “Everyone should have a turkey on Thanksgiving. While our community is facing this economic crisis and growing food insecurity, Thanksgiving is not only a time to be thankful for what we have, it’s a time to look out for those in need.”
Gottheimer made similar appearances the same day in Hackensack at the Mount Olive Baptist Church and in River Edge at St. Peter the Apostle Church.
In a statement from his office, he added later, “It’s so important to come together safely and support others in our North Jersey community, so thank you to everyone across the Fifth District who’s doing their part.”
Asked her view of the hustle and bustle of the turnout, Lois Kohan told Pascack Press, “It’s a blessing, are you kidding? It’s wonderful, to have so many volunteers—it takes a lot of volunteers to keep it going.”
Then she led us on a tour of the pantry in the basement of the church, where scouts were hard at work organizing food donations. The scene looked like the storeroom of a small supermarket.
Kohan said it was unusual that so much food—above and beyond turkeys—was being donated.
“It’s been a hard year. People want to help. And there are local families who can use it, believe me,” she said.
The Helping Hand Food Pantry evolved from a need recognized in 1992 by a Boy Scout and Hillsdale’s public health nurse. The scout took the initiative to organize a food drive for his Eagle project.
Seeing the need for continued food distribution, the public health nurse and welfare director managed the operation for the following six years. In 1998 the Hillsdale Clergy Association united the four Hillsdale churches to establish one ecumenically sponsored food pantry.
The pantry is a non-profit charitable organization granted 501(C)(3) status by the IRS. It is entirely staffed by dedicated volunteers and relies on private donations, fundraisers, food drives and grants to serve those in need.
To qualify for services, clients are required to confirm residency by providing two recent forms of ID with their name and address.
For more information, visit helpinghandfoodpantry.com.