From Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity:
Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity (MEND) NJ will host their annual fundraiser on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at The Woodland Club, 60 Woodland Road, Maplewood NJ.
Named for its school bus-turned-mobile-pantry, the “Green Bean,” the Gala is MEND’s annual fundraising event to benefit over 40 Essex County based food pantries and community partners that make up its network.
MEND collaborates with pantry and community leaders to prioritize the needs of patrons, and regularly sources high quality, culturally relevant, fresh and healthy food. This community-led, responsive, “healthy hunger relief” model prioritizes residents’ nutritional needs and is helping to transform hunger relief locally.
“By supporting MEND, you are making nutritious food options a reality for families in our community, while also investing in the local food economy,” said Robin Peacock, MEND’s Executive Director. 97% of the food MEND purchases – and 73% of the food donated – is fresh; over half is locally-sourced.
Beyond food, MEND connects community leaders to share knowledge and resources on a variety of food-related and other relevant topics, such as nutrition, health, immigration, employment, and affordable housing. MEND advocates for long-term change by participating in local and regional food policy councils and planning workshops, as well as statewide food advocacy organizations.
Funds raised at the Green Bean Gala will support additional fresh food purchasing, needed infrastructure (including a truck to replace the Green Bean bus, which MEND recently donated to the Franklin Food Bank!), and community led advocacy and outreach efforts.
Sponsors of the Green Bean Gala include many local businesses: 4Elbows Design; The Able Baker; JLM Architecture; Ann Laskowski, Realtor; Liv Breads Artisan Bakery and Coffee Bar; Dyanna Moon Properties; Paper, Ribbon and Wrap; Pickett’s Village Bar; the Tugentman Family, on behalf of the CHS Scholarship Fund; TAPinto SOMA and TAPinto Millburn/Short Hills, and The Village Green.
### About Meeting Emergency Needs with Dignity (MEND)
Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity (MEND) is a hunger relief network in Essex County, NJ, that works to advance health equity and influence systems-level change through collaborative, community-driven, innovative programming. MEND’s mission is to strengthen the health of our community by increasing access to fresh and healthy food. MEND works with and through network partners based throughout the County, including locations in Bloomfield, East Orange, Irvington, Maplewood, Montclair, Newark, Orange, South Orange, and West Orange.
MEND
PO Box 1304
Maplewood, NJ 07040
