BAYONNE Food Bank Filling a need in trying times By Diana Schwaeble Photos courtesy of the Bayonne Food Bank
D
uring good times, many people think about how they’ll spend their vacations, or they look forward to spending holidays with loved ones. The very nature of good times has been upended by the far-reaching effects of the pandemic. Many people struggle on a daily basis, whether from the stress of working from
14 • BLP ~ FALL | WINTER 2020/21
home, recent layoffs, job insecurities, or the day-to-day struggles of paying bills. During tough times, people worry about feeding their families, said Bayonne Business Administrator Melissa Mathews. “As the pandemic started happening, we started to see a really big need,” said Melissa, noting that the mayor’s office was getting calls from people who wanted to donate food. When the pandemic hit and businesses and services were shut down or had limited resources, a number of entities sprang into action.
A Team Effort In early April, Bayonne City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski was already in the process of starting a food bank working with the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation. In addition to Sharon’s work, various groups coalesced to provide food to those in need. “We partnered with Table to Table, and we partnered with the Community Food Bank of New Jersey,” Melissa said
