essex county executive divincenzo, freeholder president gill and vice president richardson to present emergency food distribution event to help those impacted by coronavirus
1,000 Emergency Food Boxes to be Distributed Thursday, May 14th at the Essex County Economic Development Center, 50 South Clinton Street, East Orange
Essex County, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Freeholder President Brendan Gill and Vice President Wayne Richardson will present an Emergency Food Distribution Event at the Essex County Economic Development Center in East Orange to help families negatively impacted by the Coronavirus. The 1,000 boxes of food that will be distributed are meant to benefit families who have been forced out of work and are not able to afford food.
It will be held as follows:
Date: Thursday, May 14, 2020
Time: 10 a.m.
Place: Essex County Economic Development Center
50 South Clinton Street
Enter parking lot on South Burnett Street
East Orange, NJ
It will be held RAIN or SHINE.
“The Coronavirus has forced an enormous amount of people out of work and created food insecurity among residents who now have limited income or no income at all. We are pleased to present this Emergency Food Distribution Event to help those who are in dire need,” DiVincenzo said. “The Coronavirus has created uncertainty and unforeseen challenges for us all. We hope this emergency food distribution helps those families who are struggling,” he said, adding that additional emergency food distribution events will be scheduled on a weekly basis.
“The Coronavirus Pandemic has negatively affected our communities in a multitude of ways. Unfortunately, over the last few months, the number of Essex County residents requiring assistance to provide food for their families has increased. To that end, I am happy to join the County Administration in announcing that more food distribution events will be coming to different municipalities across the County. Providing service to our residents is something I take great pride in, and it is my hope the upcoming food distribution events will allow more Essex County residents in need to receive assistance,” Gill said.
“The Essex County Emergency Food Distribution Event that took place in Branch Brook Park at the end of April was a great success. We were able to hand out over 2,000 boxes of food to residents in need. Our goal is to duplicate that success in different towns across Essex County, and give all of our residents a chance to receive food in a location that is in close proximity to their community. I thank the County Administration for putting this plan in place, and I encourage all residents in need to participate over the next few months,” Richardson said.
Residents who want to take advantage of this free giveaway must enter the employee parking lot off of South Burnett Avenue via Freeway Drive. Left turns into the parking lot will not be allowed. Residents waiting to enter the lot should line up along Freeway Drive before turning right onto South Burnett Street. In addition, residents are asked to not arrive on site until 8 a.m. Vehicles that arrive before 8 a.m. will be asked to leave. This is being done to allow for normal traffic flow through the area and prevent any traffic back-ups from being created.
The emergency food boxes contain enough food to provide about 40 meals. They consist of a variety of non-perishable food such as oatmeal, rice, fruit, peanut butter, jelly, shelf stable milk and canned vegetables, chili, soup and ravioli. Items may vary based upon their availability.
The emergency food boxes will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. When residents arrive at the site, they are be asked to keep their windows rolled up and to open their trunk. Volunteers will place one emergency food box into each vehicle.
This event will only provide boxes to cars. Buses will not be allowed to enter. In addition, people walking to the site cannot be assisted.