HILLSDALE—Helping Hand Food Pantry Turkey Drive 2021 fielded 350 donated frozen turkeys and a generous haul of side dishes and other food donations.
This year, with the bite of Covid felt less sharply in the Pascack Valley but demand on the grow, organizers hope to see an even greater turnout.
The event, held Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hillsdale United Methodist Church, which hosts the pantry as a mission, will keep volunteers of all ages busy on donation day.
Save the date and donate what you can. It’s an extra-special event: Helping Hand Food Pantry, 349 Hillside Ave., is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022.
Coordinator Mark Loblanco tells Pascack Press the turkeys will be given out for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“This turkey drive has always kicked off the holiday season. During this time of the year, It is not about what you receive but what you already have is what is important to remember,” Loblanco says.
He adds, “It’s so amazing to see a community come together with donations of not just turkeys but bags of food and gift cards. The youth of community working in unison with adults is wonderful to watch. The many volunteers make this turkey drive a success. It is that simple.”
Loblanco says, “Our client list has been steadily increasing while our food donations have been decreasing” and notes donations have been harder to come by.
He explains the pinch is due to “price increases on food and other household items. People are finding it hard to donate when they need first to take care of their own family.”
One thing going consistently strong is the volunteer force. More are welcome in collecting the turkeys and other donations:
Loblanco says, “We have a great board of trustees but the actual volunteers that work at the pantry is the motor that keeps the train rolling on the tracks. We can always use more volunteers. Many hands make light work.”
In 2021, in addition to Helping Hand Food Pantry clients, organizations receiving turkeys included 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.
Volunteer groups turned out to make the drive a success: trustees of Helping Hand Food Pantry, members of St. John’s of Hillsdale, Holy Trinity Church, Hillsdale, Hillsdale United Methodist Church, and Pascack Bible Church Interact Club; a representative from Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s office; high school youth volunteers; Helping Hand Food Pantry; and student volunteers from Pascack Hills High School.
One volunteer already on the job for 2022 is Archie Sutnick, a junior at Pascack Valley High School and a part time recreation coach at Aeon Gymnastics.
He’s collecting funds and food donations for Helping Hand Food Pantry, and is donating pies with the money he’s raising on Sundays after his shift at the gym — he’s outside selling ice pops and candy on Sundays until Nov 20.
Included in his effort is help for the food drive: he’s asking for non-perishable food donations from the families whose children take classes at the gym.
Archie’s mom, Eliza, tells Pascack Press, “He is hopeful with the money collected he can purchase apple pies to give to the needy on Monday, Nov. 21, the day the pantry gives out their Thanksgiving support to those who need help.”
About Helping Hand Food Pantry
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.
Services are limited to the towns of Emerson, Hillsdale, Oradell, Montvale, Washington Township, Westwood and Woodcliff Lake. 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.