FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOOD BANK OF SOUTH JERSEY’s 2024 GALA CELEBRATES COMMUNITY IMPACT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER
Senator Troy Singleton, Horizon Foundation, and Eric Stevens Honored as Feeding South Jersey Champions at “Harvesting Hope” Viva South Jersey Event
PENNSAUKEN, NJ – November 15, 2024 – The Food Bank of South Jersey, South Jersey’s largest emergency food provider, held its Viva South Jersey gala on Thursday, November 14, 2024, in Cinnaminson, NJ. Nearly 300 guests attended the event to support the Food Bank, which serves thousands of children, families and seniors in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties.
Honored as Feeding South Jersey Champions for their work alongside the Food Bank were Senator Troy Singleton; Eric R. Stevens, Executive Director of The Stevens Group at Morgan Stanley; and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey.
“Horizon and the Food Bank of South Jersey enjoy a really long-standing relationship. You see the impact of their work every day, and as they grow and as they serve more individuals,” said Jonathan R. Pearson, Executive Director of the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. “To be named a Feeding South Jersey Champion is an unbelievable honor for Horizon. We love being here. We love showing up and volunteering. It really brings our mission to life.”
The theme for the gala was “Harvesting Hope,” spotlighting the work of the Food Bank, its community partners and its volunteers to change hunger in South Jersey. Through a variety of programs, including partnerships with local farms and cooperatives, the Food Bank brings hope to neighbors across the region by providing healthy food, offering nutrition and wellness education and building sustainable solutions for the future.
“The Food Bank of South Jersey has always answered our call to help those who are hungry here in Burlington County and beyond,” said Senator Troy Singleton. “I truly consider them a partner, as we share the same goal and objective – to eradicate food insecurity. Every time I’ve raised my hand to say I need your help, they’ve always been there, and we’ve been shoulder to shoulder in this fight.”
Gala planning committee members from local organizations included Gala Chair and Emcee Neal Walters, Partner & Practice Group Leader, Ballard Spahr LLP; FBSJ Board Chair Suzanne Ghee, President & CEO, Thrive Public Affairs; Kristi Howell, President/CEO, Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce; Kim Bezanis, Executive Director, Zallie Community Foundation; and Pedro Figueroa, VP Business Development Officer, 1st Colonial Community Bank. Other members from the Food Bank of South Jersey board of trustees and executive leadership team, including President & CEO Fred Wasiak, were also in attendance.
“We are so grateful for the support of our Feeding South Jersey Champions, gala sponsors, live and silent auction donors, and every benefactor who helps us widen and defend food security in our neighborhoods,” said Fred Wasiak, President & CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey. “Viva South Jersey 2024 was a great celebration of the incredible work we can do together to make a food-secure future for us all.”
Sponsors of the 2024 Viva South Jersey gala include 1st Colonial Community Bank, AAA South Jersey, All Key Solutions, Ballard Spahr LLP, Campbell’s Soup Company, Canada Dry Delaware Valley, CSAA Insurance Group, Deerfield Associates, Green Chef, Holman Enterprises, Horizon Foundation For NJ, Nemours, NJ American Water, NJM Insurance Group, Norma’s Eastern Mediterranean Restaurant, Oaks Integrated Care, Parts Life, Inc, PSEG, Puratos Corporation, Rastelli Foods Group, RLS Logistics, Roffman Miller Wealth Management, Seashore Fruit & Produce Company, South Jersey Magazine, Tabernacle Baptist Church, TD Bank, The Barclay Group, The Jamie Maguire Foundation, Tito’s Handmade Vodka/ Fifth Generation, United, Virtua Health, Wakefern/ Shoprite, Westmont Associates, Inc., Whitesell Construction Company and Zallie’s Community Foundation.
ABOUT FOOD BANK OF SOUTH JERSEY
The Food Bank of South Jersey believes that no one should go to bed hungry. Since 1985, it has served the children, families and seniors of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties by distributing safe and healthy food, providing nutrition education and cooking courses, and developing sustainable pathways for neighbors to improve their lives. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and member of Feeding America, FBSJ distributed more than 18 million meals in 2023, through direct distributions and its network of more than 200 partner agencies. For more information, visit FoodBankSJ.org.
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