Volunteer
Volunteer with MEND in 2024!
Make 2024 your year to volunteer! Click the Sign Up Genius Link (below) for a list of volunteer opportunities with MEND in 2024.
Donate Food and/or Essential Items
Essential Needs Drives
You can support patrons of MEND food pantries, mobile markets and home deliveries by hosting a drive to collect essential items like personal care products or cooking essentials, such as oil and spices. To get started, please contact Shayna Schmidt at shayna@mendnj.org or 862.250.5216, ext. 702, to plan your drive!
Back-to-School Essential Needs Drive
From August to September, 2024, MEND will be collecting school supplies to ensure that school-aged children served by our community partners have a successful Back-to-School experience this fall. Items may be purchased from MEND’s Amazon Wishlist – School Supplies, and will be shipped directly to the MEND Hub and distributed among our network of partners.
How to Donate Fresh Food and/or Harvest Donations
Do you have fresh, high-quality produce you’d like to donate to benefit the patrons of the MEND network? If so, please complete this form and a MEND staff member will be in touch shortly.
Raise Awareness (& Funds)
Interested in spreading the word about MEND?
We’d welcome your time and efforts as a MEND Ambassador! Please email (info@mendnj.org) to let us know how you’d like to help!
Learn & Advocate
Want to learn more about hunger in our community, and other ways to take action and advocate for change?
Here are links to the NJ Economic Development Authority’s food desert designation methodology, as well as to like-missioned governmental offices, organizations, and coalitions who are working collaboratively and collectively toward solving this issue:
NJEDA Food Desert Designation Methodology (2022) NJ Office of the Food Security Advocate (LinkedIn page) NJ Food Democracy Collaborative (State-wide Food System Collaborative) Hunger Free NJ (NJ Advocacy Opportunities) Food Research and Action Center (National Advocacy Opportunities)
Want to learn more about the Food & Health Equity Coalition of Essex County, and get involved? This newly-formed coalition is made up of over 100 members from academia, government, the non-profit and philanthropic communities, the healthcare sector, and more – all working toward the shared goal of greater collective impact when it comes to food security in Essex County.
Sign Up for the MEND Newsletter!
Sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter to stay informed about MEND’s current partners and programs, and all the ways you can contribute to healthy hunger relief in our community!
