Help Local Nonprofit CAMBA Provide Emergency Food For Hungry Neighbors
Each month, thousands of neighbors — about 4,300 to be exact — patiently stand in line at CAMBA’s Beyond Hunger Emergency Food Pantry (2241 Church Avenue) to get the vegetables, fruit, bread and more that they cannot afford on their own.
The food pantry, used by our community’s retired teachers and veterans, single parents working several jobs, individuals facing decreasing food stamp benefits, and many others, has played a crucial role in our neighborhood since 1988, now providing food for more than 51,000 people each year, from the very young to the very old — and everyone in between.
With the help of many volunteers, the pantry is able to meet the ever-increasing demand for its services — but it’s not easy, or cheap, and CAMBA’s now asking those who can afford to do so to donate online to its annual “Where You Canned Food Drive” to help continue to put meals on the table for our neighbors in need.
Between now and April 30, whatever you donate will be generously matched by the Feinstein Foundation. To learn more and to donate, you can go here. All financial gifts are tax-deductible.
Joanne M. Oplustil, CAMBA’s president and CEO, stressed that “more than half a million Brooklyn families live in poverty.
“Every day, they face desperate choices as they struggle to make ends meet,” she continued. “Too often, families and individuals sacrifice food to pay for rent and other necessities.”
But, with our help, fewer people will have to make those kinds of sacrifices — and CAMBA will be able to purchase the best food possible.
“With financial donations, our food pantry can purchase food below wholesale through the city’s food bank and other sources,” Oplustil said. “It is easy for donors to give online and a cost-effective way to ensure that we can stock the most nutritious and needed items.”
Just today, NBC News aired interviews they conducted with neighbors who seek help from the pantry, which gives you a good glimpse into its importance:
Plus, in addition to the food, the pantry helps clients determine eligibility for public benefits, provides nutritional education and refers clients to programs for money management, social services and health care.
And, in 2013, CAMBA started a hydroponic farm at the pantry, which now produces more than 4,000 heads of fresh produce annually for pantry clients.
If you’re not able to make a financial donation, you can also help by holding a traditional food drive. Needed items include: canned tuna, salmon and chicken, dried milk, beans, fruit, vegetables, pasta, cereal, peanut butter, and 100 percent fruit juice. You can drop off these food items at the following CAMBA locations:
- 1720 Church Avenue, 2nd Floor
- 2241 Church Avenue
- 885 Flatbush Avenue, Room 202
- 19 Winthrop Street
- Park Slope Women’s Shelter, 1402 8th Avenue
To organize a food drive or another activity to support our pantry, please contact Lucila Santana at lucilas@camba.org or 718-282-3082.
For more information, visit CAMBA’s website here.