Food Bank of South Jersey Volunteers Prepare Thanksgiving Dinners
The Food Bank of South Jersey volunteers and members alike have been working tirelessly to make sure every family in need gets a meal this Thanksgiving. Fred Wasiak, CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey, says Thanksgiving is a pivotal meal for families everywhere. “It’s just the emblem of holiday feasts,” says Wasiak.
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. –
The Food Bank of South Jersey volunteers and members alike have been working tirelessly to make sure every family in need gets a meal this Thanksgiving.
Fred Wasiak, CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey, says Thanksgiving is a pivotal meal for families everywhere.
“It’s just the emblem of holiday feasts,” says Wasiak. “It’s around the turkey. So that’s a big part. Right now … donations are coming in with the cold weather.”
Officials with the Food Bank have received hundreds of turkeys leading up to the holiday.
Now volunteers are making the final push to get everything to families in time, says Lisa Sherwin, strategic partnerships and special events manager with the Food Bank.
“The volunteers we have in today are doing some sorting,” says Sherwin. “We’ve had a lot of activity in the past week.
“We ourselves are off for Thanksgiving with our families, but we do a lot of work in the weeks and months before Thanksgiving.”
Tricia Yeo, program manager of the health and wellness department, has some tips for first-time cooks preparing turkey dinners.
“I think on everybody’s menu is the turkeys,” says Yeo. “So you want to make sure the turkey, if it’s a whole turkey, that it’s cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. And if you’re cooking just parts of a turkey or a turkey breast you want to do about 160.”
To learn more, volunteer or donate, visit foodbanksj.org.