Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 49 Not Just Food Many people are surprised to learn that the Foodbank changes lives in more ways than by just providing food security. In addition to food distribution and supporting over 270 agencies in the two counties, the Foodbank has several programs to assist low and moderate income county residents. Participants in the Culinary Skills Job Training program become self- sufficient through twelve weeks of onsite and classroom food prepara- tion training by an executive chef. Graduates are assisted with job placement in the Jersey Shore area hospitality industry. The program is supported by grants from Bank of America, JCP&L, Sodexo Foundation, Gannet Foundation, Bunbury Company, Wachovia Foundation, and the Monmouth County Workforce Investment Board. Qualified appli- cants can attend the program for free. To date, over one hundred thirty trainees have graduated from the pro- gram. "The program changes lives," said Lynch. "I've seen it with my own eyes." Another contribution by par- ticipants in the Culinary Skills Job Training Program is providing one hundred hot meals a day for chil- dren at Kids Café, an after school program held at the Asbury Park Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County. Children not only receive a hot meal, but also get homework help in a safe and nurturing environ- ment. Rodriguez recalled one par- ticular young boy who demonstrated the importance of the Kids Café. "A boy around six-years-old thought he had missed his hot meal for the day. He was crying uncontrollably to the director, because that missed meal would be the only meal he would have all day, and he thought he missed it. Seeing something like that grounds you." The Foodbank's Backpack Program assists children of chronic hunger at seven schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Children are given a backpack of nutritious and easy to make foods to take home on weekends over school vacations, when they might not have food available to them. The Foodbank's Mobile Pantry is just that—a pantry on wheels that visits areas and low income housing sites that do not have food pantries. County residents can also obtain assistance from the mobile pantry with applying for food stamps. Finally, the Volunteer Garden, onsite at the Foodbank's Neptune headquarters, reaps crops of fresh produce that are distributed to fami- lies in need. The Foodbank also has two new programs set for 2014. The first is VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, a free, IRS-sponsored program to help low and middle-income workers have their federal and state personal income taxes prepared and filed electronically at no cost. VITA assists workers in receiving all tax credits, such as the earned income tax credit and child tax credit, to which they are entitled. As a result, more money will be in the workers' family bud- gets, with the hope that they will be able to have more food security. The second is the Foodbank's Health Care Marketplace Navigators Program. The program has trained personnel to assist low and moderate income families with applying for affordable health insur- ance. There are several locations throughout the two counties where people can go for assistance from the Health Care Navigators, including sites in Asbury Park, Brick, Neptune, Toms River, and Union Beach. Residents can make an appoint- ment for Health Care Marketplace Navigators assistance by calling (732) 918-2600. How To Help Just as the Foodbank is always there for those who need it, there is always a need for help at the Foodbank. One way to help is by making a financial donation, which is tax deductible, as the Foodbank is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. For every $25. donated, the Foodbank can provide seventy-five meals to those in need. To make a monetary donation, visit the Foodbank's web- site at www.foodbankmoc.org. Click on "Donate" and follow the instruc- tions. Donations can be one-time or monthly, and corporate employer continued on page 50 The most needed items are proteins such as canned fish, chicken or meat, and peanut butter as well as shelf- stable milk products. With a staff nutritionist on site, a goal for 2014 is to increase the amount of healthier food donations. Jill M. Ocone

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