FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nicole Williams, Communications & Public Relations Manager
nwilliams@cfbnj.org / 732-798-5213
20TH ANNUAL TURKEY DRIVE TO PROVIDE FOR NEW JERSEY NEIGHBORS IN NEED
CFBNJ and Partner Agencies will Collect Food for Holiday Meals at Sites Throughout the State
HILLSIDE, NJ—November 5, 2020
With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, more New Jersey neighbors than ever before may not be able to afford a holiday meal to share with their families. Food insecurity throughout the state is projected to increase by 56% this year to nearly a million people struggling with hunger. To ensure that every family has what they need for a happy Thanksgiving, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) has purchased over 35,000 frozen turkeys and roasters and will receive even more at its Annual Turkey Drive. This year is the drive’s 20th year, as well as CFBNJ’s 45th anniversary.
The Turkey Drive will be held at North Jersey sites in CFBNJ’s service area on Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22 and in South Jersey on Saturday, November 14. Visit cfbnj.org/turkey for an interactive map of locations, dates, and hours.
CFBNJ staff, volunteers, and partner agencies will collect turkeys and other holiday food items at nearly 40 supermarkets, churches, and other sites. Last year, CFBNJ received nearly 44,000 pounds of food and about 5,700 turkeys thanks to the generosity of those who donated.
Most needed items include frozen turkeys and hams, roasters, canned vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. CFBNJ will also be accepting other nonperishables, as well as monetary donations.
“Everyone deserves to have a happy Thanksgiving, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstance,” said Carlos Rodriguez, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “That’s why support for our Turkey Drive is so essential, especially during this difficult year.”
Those who cannot make it out to support the drive in-person can still donate to CFBNJ’s Virtual Turkey Drive online at cfbnj.org/virtualturkeydrive.
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The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), a member of Feeding America®, has been delivering food, help and hope across the state for 45 years. Last year, CFBNJ provided nutritious food for over 66 million meals through its network of more than 1,000 community partners including pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, mobile pantries, and child and senior feeding programs throughout the 11 New Jersey counties it directly serves (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset and Union). For our hungry neighbors, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey is the powerful agent of change that fills the emptiness caused by hunger and provides resources that are essential to earning a sustainable living.