Food Pantry Raises $54,000 in Feinstein Challenge to Fight Hunger

St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Benedict Church in Holmdel raised $54,334 in food, cash, checks, and pledges  in response to the $1 million dollar Feinstein Foundation Challenge from March 1st to April 30th.

Holmdel and Hazlet communties and schools teamed up in March and April to collect food and monetary donations to attempt to put the food pantry in the running for a portion of a $1 million give-away.

The money is provided annually by the Foundation. It will be divided proportionately among all those participating around the country (a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $35,000 to participating agencies). The full report will be posted on the Feinstein Foundation website in July. Checks will be mailed by August 1st, 2011.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society pantry provides bags of groceries to people twice a month, hot meals to families in crisis, food deliveries for those who can't get to the pantry, and assists with bills for families in crisis. Some are teetering on losing their homes, said Dickens. 

The board meets twice a month to decide how to help particular families with food, gas and electric bills or mortgage payments, said co-President Patti Dickens.

To learn more about the food pantry or to volunteer, call (732) 264-4712 ext. 33.