Holiday Food Basket Drive for Seniors a Success

Thanks to the generosity of the community and local businesses, was a success.

Sponsored by Saul Funeral Homes - with the assistance of Lawrence Township's two police unions, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 209 and Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 119, and Hamilton Township PBA Local 66 - the annual drive is run by Norma Taylor, a veteran Lawrence Township police dispatcher/communications operator who also works for Saul.

On Tuesday (Dec. 20) employees of Saul Funeral Homes and off-duty Lawrence Township police officers, with the help of family and friends, distributed 200 food baskets – 100 to elderly residents of the Alvin E. Gershen Apartments on Klockner Road in Hamilton and 100 to seniors at Lawrence Plaza Apartments on Princeton Pike in Lawrence.

Also helping pass out the baskets at the Lawrence Plaza Apartments were Lawrence Township firefighters and emergency medical personnel. They were smiles and tears as the baskets were distributed.

The baskets – each filled with 21 items like vegetables, soup, pasta, rice and cookies – went to older folks who are either struggling financially to put food on the table or who are alone because they don’t have any family or their families have abandoned them.

The food items were purchased at a discount from the ShopRite supermarket in Mercer Mall with over $5,000 in donations received from area residents, the police unions, and local businesses. Each basket recipient was also given a gift card to either ShopRite or Acme, courtesy of Saul Funeral Homes.

Last-minute donations that were received were used to purchase grocery store gift cards that were passed out to some residents of the apartment buildings who did not receive baskets. Also handed out were donated gift cards to local pizza restaurants and car washes.

Taylor said she was pleased with the success of this year’s drive – which, with 200 baskets, topped the 160 that were passed out last Christmas and the 80 handed out in 2009 – but she vowed to “do better” next year.

“Next year I want everybody to get a basket,” she said.