Stop & Shop Donates 1,500 Turkeys to NJ Veterans to Fight Hunger State

Military Veterans ranging in age from 25-82, who served in Afghanistan, Desert Storm, and Vietnam including students from Kean University and Montclair State University, members of The New Jersey Veterans Network and The Lakeland Marine Care Fund today helped unload 1,500 Thanksgiving turkeys that Stop & Shop donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey to help battle hunger and food insecurity in New Jersey.

Stop & Shop’s Turkey Express program delivered over 25,000 turkeys and gift cards, a total value of more than $600,000 to hunger relief organizations in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island this holiday season.
“Food insecurity afflicts nearly 1 million people in New Jersey, including far too many veterans and their families,” said Michael Boll, President of New Jersey Veterans Network. “We fought and served our country and now we are joining forces to help combat food insecurity and hunger. We're extremely grateful to Stop & Shop and The Community FoodBank of New Jersey for supplying Thanksgiving turkeys to New Jersey residents who need it most.”

According to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, nearly 1 million people in New Jersey are food insecure, a 22% increase over the previous year. This includes more than 260,000 children – about 1 in 8. Last year, The Community Food Bank of New Jersey distributed more than 110 million pounds of food, equating to more than 90 million meals. For Thanksgiving this year, CFBNJ will distribute nearly 85,000 turkeys, roasters, and hams to people in need.
"At CFBNJ, we believe that all of our neighbors deserve to enjoy special holiday meals with their families, regardless of their economic circumstances," said Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. "We're immensely grateful to Stop & Shop for their unwavering commitment to our mission and for this latest generous holiday donation."

“As a community grocer, we are dedicated to continuing our longstanding tradition of providing turkeys to our fantastic food bank partner, The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, in an effort to help our New Jersey neighbors fight food insecurity during this Thanksgiving holiday,” said Daniel Wolk, External Communications Manager of Stop & Shop. “We are especially honored and thankful to have the members of the New Jersey Veterans Network join us by distributing the turkeys to The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, as they continue to go above and beyond to help those in need by not only serving abroad but by also serving us here at home in New Jersey.”