World Central Kitchen Partnership, Englewood
The most pressing need at this moment is food. It’s hard for me to comprehend that I am writing this about Bergen County. Yet, when we reached out to the leaders of Englewood, where we hope to move our shelter program, they all mentioned that food insecurity was a dire issue for families, teen mothers with infants, seniors, immigrants, those with mental illness, and, of course, the homeless, including families who are doubled up with relatives and friends during this unprecedented time.
That’s when one of our long-time volunteers connected us to World Central Kitchen to determine if they could help. WCK, best known for their ability to respond quickly in the event of a disaster and provide meals to those who need it most, launched a pilot program in response to the pandemic. WCK partners with local restaurants to provide the meals and local organizations to distribute them. The goal is to keep local restaurants afloat and feed the community.
One week ago, we learned that, in response to our appeal, World Central Kitchen is going to provide 400 meals, six day per week for two weeks. Family Promise volunteers will distribute them. We know that the effects of the pandemic will last far beyond two weeks and what will happen beyond that remains to be seen. Together with community leaders, we are exploring ways to extend the program. But what we know is that every night 400 people will get a dinner meal when they might not have otherwise. Once again, Family Promise is finding ways to address the quickly changing needs of families and others during COVID-19.
