Feeding the Hungry in Cape May County
February 11th, 2010
We just couldn't stand by any longer and do nothing about the hunger and nutrition problem here in Cape May County, New Jersey. It was time to act.
In a county that has hundreds of multi-million dollar vacation homes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, there is a flip side to the coin. Of 42,000 yearround families, nearly 4,000 households live under the poverty line ($22,050 for 4) and another 9,500 have social security as their sole source of income. The unemployment rate is around 13%, and when you add in those who have basically given up ever finding gainful employment the jobless rate approaches 30%.
As realtors, we get the opportunity to go into a lot of people's homes every year. In one home we had listed last year, we noticed that the five kids had different colored lips. We soon discovered why. The only food in the house was those frozen sugar-water ice pops that come in tear-away plastic tubes. The refrigerator was empty except for condiments and the freezer was full of different flavored ice pops. It's sad. In the homes of the elderly, we have seen them subsist on Saltine crackers the last days of the month. They are proud and they don't complain.
While so many have so much, these others have so little.
This month, we organized "The Free Meal Center" with a volunteer Board of Directors and incorporated as a New Jersey secular, non-profit, charitable organization. By the way, the politically correct term nowadays is "meal center" and no longer is "soup kitchen". We found a 4,000 square foot former restaurant centrally located in the middle of the county on the main highway, Route 9, and negotiated a purchase price. It has four dining rooms, four restrooms, a large kitchen area, and parking for 40 cars on the 2.2 acre property. We will be able to seat 100 or more at a time.
We take possession of the building March 15 and hope to be up and running by Memorial Day. We will serve lunch Monday through Saturday, plus breakfast on Saturday. Meals will be free and open to anyone who walks through our doors. We won't even ask their names. Our volunteers will treat everyone with respect and dignity.
The building does need a bit of work. Part of the roof needs repairs, the interior needs painting, the bare kitchen needs equipment, and we need tables and chairs. A few other repairs may become evident once we're in the building, but its all no big deal. We can do it.
We've undertaken becoming a 501(c)(3) tax deductible entity and expect to be approved in the spring. Our website, http://www.TheFreeMealCenter.com should up on-line by next Tuesday, February 16, 2010.
If you'd like to help us help these less-fortunate folks, you can donate through our website next week, or mail a check to The Free Meal Center, PO Box 863, Cape May Court House, New Jersey 08210. We'll mail you back a tax deductible receipt.
Thanks for caring.
- Mountain Man and City Girl http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com
The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ 08260 http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com
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