ACUA to hold annual Holiday Food Drive on next recycle days

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - Atlantic County Utilities Authority crews will be picking up more than recycling over the next two weeks.

During ACUA’s 35^th annual Holiday Food Drive, residents are invited to place clearly marked bags of non-perishable food items by their recycling bins. The collections will be held curbside between Monday, Dec. 1 and Friday, Dec. 12. Crews will then collect and deliver donations to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey Southern Branch in Egg Harbor Township.

    Rashawn Lymon and Adu Poku pick up non-perishable food items during the ACUA's annual Holiday Food Drive.
  

“Our holiday food drive makes it easy for residents to help those in need,” ACUA President Matthew DeNafo said. “Just place a bag of food donations next to your recycling bin and our team will handle the rest.”

Suggested donations include canned tuna and meats, soups, meals in a can, cereal, peanut butter, feminine hygiene products or diapers. No perishable, frozen items or food in glass jars.

According to statistics provided by CFBNJ:

• Nearly 35,000 people in Atlantic County are food insecure, including 10,000 children
• Atlantic County has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the state, about 1 in 8 people
• Atlantic County has one of the highest rates of child food insecurity, about 1 in 6

CFBNJ provides donated food to more than 300 partner agencies across Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties for distribution. These charities include emergency food pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and other charitable feeding programs.

Since its inception, the ACUA Holiday Food Drive has provided more than one million pounds of food to those in need.

Atlantic County residents not serviced through ACUA’s curbside recycling program can bring donations to the ACUA Geo Administrative Building at 6700 Delilah Rd., Egg Harbor Township or to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s Southern Branch, 6735 Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township.

For more information, call 609-272-6950 or visit www.acua.com/fooddrive.