Somerset County collects 12K pounds of food to help 'Kick Hunger to the Curb'

Twelve thousand pounds of food was collected by the Somerset County Recycling Division during “Curbing Hunger Month” in June, for the Curbing Hunger organization, announced county officials.

Residents donated canned goods with their recyclables that were collected at the curb and delivered to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County. At the Food Bank, the donations were distributed to clients and local food pantries, and other donors purchased fresh produce through Curbing Hunger’s online portal that was delivered to the food bank.

The Somerset County Board of Commissioners proclaimed June Curbing Hunger Month because food supplies are lowest during the summer months when families are on vacation and needy children do not have access to school lunches.

“I’m proud of the county’s generous residents who continually give to our local hunger programs,” said Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Y. Robinson in a news release. “I’m also grateful to the recycling division and its employees who have gone above and beyond when performing the day-to-day tasks that help make these programs possible.”

“The partnership between the Food Bank Network of Somerset County, Curbing Hunger, Inc., and the Somerset County Recycling Division is a great example of how community organizations and the county have come together to fight against local food insecurity,” said Steve Katz, executive director of the Food Bank Network of Somerset County, in the release. “Food insecurity is still here, and demand is higher than ever due to the current economic conditions. We could not continue to support Somerset County families in need without organizations like Curbing Hunger, and we deeply appreciate and embrace our relationship."

Residents can continue to donate to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County by placing non-perishable items in a plastic bag, writing “food” on the bag with a permanent marker and leaving the bag at the curb with their recyclables for collection on their scheduled pickup days.

Residents can also donate to BOBO (Buy One, Bring One) Food Drive, by leaving cans of food in the blue bins in the breezeway of the Somerset County Administration Building, 20 Grove St. in Somerville, or other locations throughout the county. The list of drop-off sites is at bit.ly/3BxJXRK.

Curbing Hunger began as a pilot program in 1995 and has collected approximately 2.5 million pounds of food worth $4 million.

The Food Bank Network of Somerset County is a nonprofit organization that distributes food to local food banks in Somerville, Bound Brook, North Plainfield and a warehouse in Bridgewater to help Somerset County’s food-insecure families.