Since the beginning of the school year, Point Pleasant Boro High School has been collecting items to donate to the food drive and the final day to give is December 7th. Donating food to the food drive is an excellent way for anyone to make a difference and help out the community. To encourage students to work toward ending hunger in the community, however, it is essential for them to know where their donations will be going.

Students from the PPBHS Senior Class volunteered during the day to deliver the food to St. Gregory’s Pantry in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. One student volunteer, Eric Wehmeyer, shared his experience. He said, “I had a blast, and got to meet some really great people. I would totally encourage others to do it. It is a great cause, and you’re doing it with your friends.”

The two teachers who run the food drive volunteer program are Mrs. Boska and Mrs. Ritter. In an email asking her about the food drive, Mrs. Ritter noted, “Point Boro is always so good at donating time and food.”

PPBHS and senior volunteers work with St. Gregory’s Pantry three times every year. Students deliver food to people around Point Pleasant that request food from the pantry. These students also volunteer their time by helping customers shop and deliver groceries to their homes, to help make shopping for food a stress-free experience. The pantry provides aid to around 10,000 people annually and PPBHS students volunteers help make that happen.

St. Gregory’s Pantry, however, is not the only organization that PPBHS donates food to. Another food drive is run by the Student Council. Our annual Student Council food drive has taken place for the past couple of months through which all of the food brought in goes to Fulfill Food Bank in Neptune, New Jersey. Mrs. Salvatoriello, who runs the Student Council, explained, “Our Food Drive is where we collect all sorts of food items, non-perishable,canned, and boxed items,and it is donated to Fulfill, which is the food bank that serves Monmouth and Ocean County. So, it is food that can be directly donated to our local community.”

One in seven Americans rely on food pantries or meal service programs to be able to feed their families and themselves. How food pantries get this food is through many different resources, however during the holiday season, one major source of goods comes from local food drives, like the one at our school.

One of the largest food bank organizations in Ocean and Monmouth County is Fulfill. Fulfill’s mission is mainly to assuage hunger in local communities and provide ways for families to build a better, healthier lifestyle. In 2017 the organization was able to provide over 13 million meals through over 300 pantries and soup kitchens to people in need. Fulfill was also able to raise around $4.5 million in subsidies for affordable healthcare. The two locations where people can donate non-perishable foods to Fulfill are The B.E.A.T Center in Toms River for Ocean County and The Neptune Facility for Monmouth County. The B.E.A.T Center combines Fulfill, the People’s Pantry, and the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen to provide food and education to help end hunger.

As of November 19th, 1,179 pounds of food have been donated, with the goal being 2,500 pounds. Right now, we are doing better than we have been compared to previous years, but the Middle School is currently leading. Almost all donations are accepted as long as the items are non-perishable, not in glass containers, and not expired. All they ask is that you check for the expiration date before you consider donating and that every donation is going to a family that will have a meal on the table due to your efforts.

If you would like to help, please donate non-perishable food items such as canned meats and vegetables, dry cereal, peanut butter, dried fruits, canned beans, and lentils. For a full list of items that can be donated and more information about how to get involved, click here to visit Fulfill’s website.