For three years, the Palmyra Summer Food Program has helped families keep their children fed and healthy, especially those with students eligible for free breakfast and lunch meals during the school year.
The event is the brainchild of Palmyra Mayor Gina Ragomo Tait. She was joined by Darlene Smith on Friday evening, July 31, as they handed out boxes of food to residents trying to make ends meet containing five days of shelf-stable breakfast and lunch meals for children in the community.
“The program is excellent and helps families, especially as the prices of everything keep increasing,” said Smith, a Community Center staff member. The Community Center is where the boxes are distributed every Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. through Aug. 21.
“Last week we gave out 104 boxes. There is a great need. At Charles Street School, 56% of the students are eligible for the free lunch program,” said Mayor Tait, who believes no child should go hungry.
On July 31, they were joined by Paola Diaz, the Summer Meals Program administrator for the Food Bank of South Jersey based in Pennsauken, which provides the meals for the children.
“In the summer we try to distribute as many boxes as we can to the families,” said Paola, who coordinates the deliveries to the communities served by the Food Bank. Every Monday morning around 7:30 a.m., Smith and the mayor wait for the truck bringing 100 boxes to Palmyra.
“I would like to thank the South Jersey Food Bank for participating in our program,” said Mayor Tait, who also praised the local churches that have also helped to feed the hungry.
“El Bethel gives out food every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.,” said Smith, adding that the line on Broad Street gets quite long.
The mayor said the Epworth Methodist Church Food Pantry is open to residents the first and third Saturday of every month, and the Bethany Lutheran Church provides a hot dinner the third Wednesday of every month.
The Miller’s Temple Food Pantry provides free nutritious food the fourth Saturday of the month, and the Evergreen Baptist Church pantry is open to residents the fourth Tuesday of the month.
“The churches are stepping up. I am so proud of them,” said the mayor, who has also been able to bring services from Mount Holly and Burlington City to Palmyra, the westernmost community of the huge county.
“Starting Sept. 17, the Burlington County WIC program will use the community center as a satellite office once a month,” said the mayor, pointing out that residents will be able to re-certify for WIC, which offers free healthy foods, nutrition education and breastfeeding support to pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children under age five who meet income rules.
Coming to Palmyra soon will be a vision clinic for eye tests and attorneys in the county’s expungement program to help people clear their criminal records, said Mayor Tait, saving people from traveling so far to receive needed services.
For information on food distribution or other upcoming events, contact the Community Center at (856) 829-1144..
