Will Support Norwescap Food Bank  

Each year, Norwescap’s team of AmeriCorps service members select a project to undertake in honor of the Martin Luther King Day of Service. This year, throughout the month of January, they are hosting a large-scale food drive across four New Jersey counties to help restock the Norwescap Food Bank shelves.  

“Working on projects like these makes me feel like a part of something big, where I alone wouldn’t be able to create such impact – but with Norwescap and AmeriCorps, we can really help,” commented Tamara Lopez, Engagement Partner.

Why conduct a food drive now? After giving so much before the holidays, January arrives, and many people go into “hibernation” mode as the weather grows colder. Food donations tend to slow down after the new year, but hunger doesn’t end, creating a need for extra assistance during the winter months.  

The thought of food pantries having bare shelves is difficult to grasp – yet many pantries are struggling to keep enough food in stock to support the growing number of new families who are relying on them, particularly in January after the altruistic outpouring between November and December.  

Norwescap’s mission is to help build a community that transforms poverty into opportunity, which includes recognizing the link to hunger and helping individuals who are struggling with their most immediate needs. According to Heather Thompson, Chief Development Officer at Norwescap, “Poverty and food insecurity go hand-in-hand.”  

Issuing a call-to-action, CEO of Norwescap Mark Valli noted, “Food insecurity is a national problem. It’s worse now than it’s been in a long time. Our Food Bank distributed 1.5 million meals last year, and we are expanding our warehouse to accommodate a growing need.”  

Donations to the Food Drive will be accepted through January 31, with multiple drop-off sites in Warren, Hunterdon, Sussex and Somerset counties. There are several drop-off locations in Phillipsburg, such as the Norwescap Financial Empowerment Center at 90 South Main Street, the Phillipsburg Municipal Building at 120 Filmore Street, and Norwescap’s headquarters office at 350 Marshall Street. Community partners such as Valley Bank have included additional donation boxes at some of their banks.

Community members wanting to support the drive can visit Norwescap.org/DayOfService, or call Jessica Irish, AmeriCorps Program Manager at (908) 454-7000 x3032, for more information including a full list of drop-off locations.

The items urgently needed by Norwescap’s Food Bank include canned tuna and chicken, canned vegetables (low sodium), macaroni and cheese, shelf-stable milk, pasta and pasta sauces, peanut butter and jelly, canned fruits (in juice or light syrup), fruit juice (100% juice), soups (low sodium), ready-to-eat canned meals, chili (bean, chicken, beef), stew (vegetable, chicken, beef), hot cereals, and cold cereals (whole grain). Please, no glass containers. 

Financial gifts to Norwescap to support this effort are also welcome and can be made at Norwescap.org/DayOfService. 

At the close of January, AmeriCorps members will gather donations from the drop-off sites and deliver them to the Norwescap Food Bank on Broad Street in Phillipsburg to be sorted and distributed to over 100 partners throughout the service area for families in need this winter.  

The partnership between Norwescap and AmeriCorps has been instrumental in supporting Norwescap’s mission and enhancing them to create greater impact in our communities. Jessica Irish, the program’s manager, explained, “Norwescap working with the AmeriCorps program has allowed us to dramatically expand our services in the areas of career readiness, job training, financial empowerment, and working one-on-one with program participants. Just as important, they have energized our volunteer efforts and helped create exciting new initiatives on important days like the Martin Luther King Day of Service. We think of AmeriCorps as transformative – both for the service members spending a year or two with us, and for Norwescap.”  

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AmeriCorps is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipend volunteer work programs. For decades, AmeriCorps has worked to make service to others an indispensable part of the American experience. They connect individuals and organizations to help communities tackle their toughest challenges. For more information visit AmeriCorps.gov.  

Originally established in 1965, Norwescap has evolved into a comprehensive nonprofit organization providing services to over 30,000 individuals in New Jersey annually. The organization offers a broad array of services that support and empower people with low to moderate income, helping them move away from the crisis of poverty and towards a future where they can thrive. Norwescap programs address immediate needs and build strategies for long term success, focusing on education, employment, financial empowerment, health and nutrition, housing and community development, and volunteerism and civic engagement. For more information visit norwescap.org.