Manalapan Stop & Shop Donates to FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties

The Stop & Shop supermarket of Manalapan Townshp donated 40 pallets full of non-perishable food items and other products valued at $72,000 to the FoodBank Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The food will go to over a dozen regional charities that have asked for additional assistance this summer. 

Stop & Shop store manager Heather Peterson was accompanied by Jason Cohen, a specialist from a Stop & Shop located in Neptune, Jeane Yaecker of the Freehold Area Open Door, Tony Scuorzo the store manager of the Stop & Shop in Freehold, Scott Seidel the store manager of the Stop & Shop in Long Branch, Debbie Keszler of the Reformation Community Food Pantry of West Long Branch, Jim Gallagher the store manager of the Stop & Shop of Neptune City, Steve Yoskowitz the store manager of the Stop & Shop of Point Pleasant Beach and Mary Ann and Richard Brugger from the Bradley Food Pantry. 

According to the Foodbank, in Monmouth and Ocean Counties:

• 127,500 individuals received emergency food last year which was an increase of 84 percent since 2005.
• 53 percent of clients had to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities – up 43 percent since 2005.
• 49 percent of clients had to choose between paying for food and paying the rent/mortgage – up 40 percent since 2005.
• 40 percent of the members of households served in Monmouth and Ocean Counties are children under 18 years old – up 48 percent since 2005.