Food pantries, soup kitchens in need of donations

The countryside is ablaze with the vibrant colors of fall. Orange pumpkins dot the fields and farm stands, and our thoughts are beginning to turn to Thanksgiving.

However, a large number of people in central New Jersey will not be able to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner without your help.

Your local food pantries and soup kitchens desperately need your assistance. The need is so great, as the resources are very low.

A decline in donations has forced some food pantries to close, and those still open are struggling - all this at a time when food pantries and soup kitchens are experiencing record-setting demands for their services.

Hunger in America and in Middlesex County alone is a dark and often hidden secret. Thousands of families work two or three jobs - all at minimum wages - and they still cannot meet their families' needs. Their loved ones are still going to bed hungry every night.

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen once said, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Please help to light that one candle against the darkness of hunger by donating to your local food pantry.

Jackie Goedesky

coordinator

Hands of Hope for the Community at St. James Episcopal Church, Edison