Students from The Washington School in Millburn recently hosted a “Soup-er Bowl” food drive to benefit MEND. Designed to coincide with the Super Bowl on February 4th, students donated non-perishable soups and protein items to whichever team they thought would win, during the week leading up to the big game. The students predicted correctly – the Eagles won the food drive count by a margin of 257 donated items to 150 donated items for the Patriots.

After meeting with MEND Executive Director Robin Peacock and learning more about hunger in Essex County and how food pantries serve those in need, the students sorted and packed the food into boxes, and helped load it into “The Green Bean,” MEND’s new food collection vehicle and mobile pantry, which will be making its official debut in the summer of 2018.

Read more about the food drive, and the growth in the number of clients served by NJ food pantries.