Manna at the Shore volunteers stock the FoodBank in Egg Harbor Township.
NORTHFIELD Beth Israel's social action program, Manna at the Shore, has donated $4,000 to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey Southern Branch in Egg Harbor Township to continue its mission of feeding those in need. In addition, Manna has donated $1,000 in ShopRite gift cards to the musicians who have supported the annual Manna gala benefit at Beth Israel for 25 years and are now unemployed.
Traditionally, we meet twice a month to cook nutritious meals for those in need, Manna's Sherry Hoffman said. Due to the pandemic, we were unable to cook in April or May but the need is greater than ever.
Food insecurity has increased significantly due to the shutdown of casinos and related hospitality businesses in Atlantic County.
With schools closed and businesses shuttered across the state, including the casinos that employ so many in the Atlantic City area, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey has seen a 60% increase in need in its South Jersey service area, which has been hit particularly hard by the economic effects of the pandemic, the FoodBank's Director of External Affairs Denise Hladun said. We are grateful for Manna's donation which will help us continue to provide nutritious food at a time when so many families are in need.
Manna at the Shore was founded in 1994, as a social action program of Beth Israel, and is a non-sectarian, all-volunteer organization. Manna volunteers prepare and deliver 2,200 meals each month to Atlantic and Cumberland Counties for people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses who are too sick to cook for themselves .
For more information, visit www.mannashorenj.org or call Beth Israel at 609-641-3600.
