Courier Post’s Feed Our Neighbors campaign fights hunger here at home

The Feed Our Neighbors campaign aims to help stock shelves at The Food Bank of South Jersey in Pennsauken. (Photo: Courier-Post file) There are rituals for me as Christmas approaches, beyond the usual gift shopping and decorating and cookie baking.

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There are rituals for me as Christmas approaches, beyond the usual gift shopping and decorating and cookie baking.

For one thing, I break out the pasta maker and partner with my friend Denise to crank out more than 20 dozen pierogi. My grandma, who taught me, is 97 and still able to enjoy them with us on Christmas Eve.

For another, I drive my husband and kids nuts searching for the perfect, most sincere (ready FAT and TALL Christmas tree). Last year was a low point, when I actually dragged them to seven different tree lots.

Finally, I do a deep dive into statistics about hunger in South Jersey in the past year, a good reminder of just how fortunate my family is to be able to have enough to eat and celebrate at the holidays. The same is not true for so many of our neighbors. One in five children in South Jersey goes without enough to eat, according to the Food Bank of South Jersey.

For more than a decade, the Courier-Post has joined with our community to help fight hunger in our region. This year, Feed Our Neighbors runs through Friday, Jan. 4.

Drop off nonperishable food items in our lobby at 301 Cuthbert Blvd., across from Camden Catholic, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations will be transported to the Food Bank, which serves Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties, throughout the month. Food will be used to help the Food Bank meet holiday needs and restock empty shelves after the holiday.

For more information about fighting hunger in South Jersey, as well as starting your own food drive, visit foodbanksj.org