Summer Food Drive
Nourishing Young Minds, Feeding Young Bodies
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Child Food Insecurity is Growing
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began food insecurity in Middlesex in County has soared. The childhood food insecurity rate in particular rose from 10.2% to over 18%!
Children who do not have enough to eat have a higher risk of developing serious health conditions like asthma and are more likely to need medical intervention as they grow.
When you help to feed a hungry child you are also nourishing their mind. Hunger significantly impacts a child's academic experience, making them more likely to struggle in school and beyond. Children who experience hunger in their early years are more likely to have lower reading and math scores in kindergarten than similar children who didn't experience food insecurity. They are also more likely to be hyperactive and act out in the classroom.
Three Ways You Can Help:
1. Host a Food Drive at your workplace, business or community: contact jlaunay@uwcj.org
2. Make A Donation to support a family with a box of non-perishable foods; credit cards accepted online through our secured site. Donate gift cards for families to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat form a local supermarket: contact jlaunay@uwcj.org
3. Volunteer on June 21:
Where: United Way of Central Jersey, 32 Ford Avenue in Milltown
Two shifts available:
10am to 12pm and
1pm -3:00pm
Volunteers are needed to unload vehicles, sort food and pack food boxes.
