WESTWOOD—Saying that it is estimated that 1 in every 10 residents of Bergen County are food insecure, Parkside Community Church elder and food pantry coordinator Lisa Bontemps told Pascack Press on Nov. 23 that her pantry is fortunate to have been selected by the Bergen County Food Security Task Force as one the organizations in Bergen County to receive weekly hot meals prepared by restaurants in Ridgewood as part of the Feed the Front Lines grant awarded by the state.
And that’s in addition to Parkside’s invaluable partnership with local food rescue organization Connex4NPO.
“One out of 10 is a shocking statistic, especially noteworthy considering that the county’s median income is among the highest in the nation,” says Bontemps.
Yet week after week food pantries such as the one started at Parkside Community Church last year in response to the Covid pandemic continue to serve many in the community who find it difficult to meet their family food needs on their current budget.
Relying on donations of nonperishable goods from local residents and organizations is only part of the equation in addressing food insecurity.
“Feeding people week after week really involves tapping into multiple resources to ensure that everyone has enough to eat” according to Bontemps.
Each Tuesday evening, Parkside receives 300 hot meals, 80 of which are brought to the Westwood House senior residence building and delivered to residents by fellow Parkside elder and Westwood House resident Shirley Crute.
“We also have a few volunteers who personally deliver these hot meals to the homes of various older residents in town who are unable to attend the food distributions in person,” Bontemps says.
Westwood Councilwoman Jodi Murphy is one such volunteer. Her son, Cooper, looks forward to hand-delivering the meals and seeing the smiles of appreciation on the faces of each one who gets to take a night off from cooking.
In addition to distributing hot meals each Tuesday from 5 to 6 p.m., Parkside is also able to distribute a number of fresh fruits and vegetables generously donated by Premier Medical Group in Emerson, and oftentimes even has beautiful fresh flowers donated by Trader Joe’s.
“We set the flowers outside the church for people to take on their way in or out of the pantry and wouldn’t you know that the flowers are often the very first thing people pick out, even before their food,” Bontemps says.
She adds, “I think having something beautiful like fresh cut flowers to bring into their homes is incredibly uplifting. Guests will often tell us how much they love setting their tables with fresh flowers while sitting down to eat a wonderful, healthy meal with their entire family.”
And, she says, “That’s more than just feeding their bellies: we’re feeding their souls too!”
Anyone is welcome to attend these weekly hot meal and fresh produce distributions from 5 to 6 p.m. each Tuesday at Parkside Community Church, 545 Fourth Ave. The main entrance is on Park.
For more information or to inquire about delivery for those unable to attend in person, call the church office at (201) 666-8998.