By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Union County announced that the Board of County Commissioners is delighted to announce a significant milestone in their ongoing efforts to support the community.
Officials said the Food Distribution event that was held on Sunday, December 17th, at the campus of Kean University marked the 100th such initiative since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This milestone of hosting the 100th Union County Food Distribution event not only highlights the hard work of our Union County staff and volunteers but also emphasizes the pivotal role these initiatives have played in ensuring that no one in Union County went hungry during the pandemic and its aftermath," said Commissioner Chairman Sergio Granados.
"These events brought together county staff, volunteers, local businesses, and community organizations, who were all working in harmony with our Commissioner Board to provide support where it was needed the most."
"It is heartening to witness the impact we can make when we come together to support one another during challenging times."
In Sunday's food distribution, the County of Union was able to serve over 14,148 residents, officials say.
For the last three years, officials said, Union County has provided full boxes of fresh food to residents who participated.
Since the program's inception, Union County's emergency food distributions have supplied more than 350,000 residents with over 41 million meals, addressing the heightened need since the start of the pandemic and totaling nearly 40 million pounds of distributed food, officials stated.
"As County Manager, I am immensely grateful for the transformative impact of community on our community's food distribution events," said County Manager Ed Oatman.
"These funds have proven to be a lifeline, allowing us to not only meet the immediate needs of our residents but also to do so with enhanced efficiency and compassion."
"The meaningful difference these resources have made highlights the vital role of ARPA in creating a stronger, more resilient county for our county's" well-being."