Calvary Baptist Church of Morristown Partners with Interfaith Food Pantry for Summer Food Drive

Morristown, NJ – Calvary Baptist Church  On July 30th, several Counselors in Training (C.I.T.) from Calvary’s YES Camp presented Carolyn Lake, Interfaith Food Pantry’s Director of Community Relations and Development with over 20 boxes (783 pounds) of donated food items from their congregation and its summer camp.

Calvary collaborated with Interfaith Food Pantry to conduct a Summer Food Drive in an effort to collect much needed items for the Morris County community. According to Lake, donations during the summer months are especially critical for children as many low-income families who receive free or reduced priced meals at school are now eating at home, stretching already tight budgets. She stated that in 2012, 36% of the 12,500 Morris County residents they served were children, and that the need has grown by about 25% over the same period last year. “We are going through supplies at an alarming rate – on average distributing about 1.7 tons of food per day”, she said. “Many of the new people coming are hourly employees who have had their hours reduced or jobs eliminated entirely. To keep up with this demand, we rely heavily on the faith-based community, and are so grateful for the generosity of Calvary’s congregation and the enthusiasm and hard work of their Counselors In Training. They are making a big difference for families going through tough times.”

Martha Ballard and the Rev. Carol Lynn Patterson of Calvary’s Missions Ministry and Ministry Development were on hand to assist the young volunteers with the presentation.