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What began as an endeavor with the township Health Department grew so large that it had to be turned over to the Lyndhurst Women’s Club to run exclusively.
“It started small, maybe 10 to 12 families,” said Diane Cichino, a member of the women’s club and the panstry chairperson. “In the five or six years since the Women’s Club has taken over, we have grown to approximately 100 to 125 families.”
In order to be considered eligible for food pantry aid, applicants must go to the health department and show proof of township residency and documentation of hardship -- unemployment, welfare, medical expenses or food stamps.
Subsisting solely on donations, the pantry stocks everything from non-perishables to frozen meats to toiletries.
“I purchase items on a monthly basis and spend around $500 to $900 a month — depending on what items we are out of,” Cichino said. "Many of the clubs and churches and individuals donate checks or gift cards to supermarkets in the area and then the women in the club do the shopping.”
The Women’s Club volunteers on a rotating schedule in order to keep the pantry open Monday through Thursday from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
“It’s rewarding to know I am helping people in need,” Cichino said.
MORE INFORMATION: (201) 933-0582Donations can be dropped off at 253 Stuyvesant Avenue. Checks can be made to: Women's Club of Lyndhurst/Food Pantry.
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