Essex County food distribution in West Side Park will be on June 10
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. and the Essex County Board of County Commissioners will present an Emergency Food Distribution Event on Thursday, June 10th at Essex County West Side Park in Newark to help families negatively impacted by the Coronavirus. The 500 boxes of food that will be distributed are meant to benefit families who have been forced out of work and are not able to afford food. This food distribution was rained out last week and has been rescheduled to June 10th. "The Essex County Emergency Food Distribution Event that took place in Branch Brook Park at the end of April was a great success. We were able to hand out over 2,000 boxes of food to residents in need. Our goal is to duplicate that success in different towns across Essex County, and give all of our residents a chance to receive food in a location that is in close proximity to their community. I thank the County Administration for putting this plan in place, and I encourage all residents in need to participate over the next few months," County Commission President Wayne Richardson said. Residents who want to take advantage of this free giveaway can enter the area by turning onto South 13th Street from 16th Avenue. Only right turns onto South 13th Street from 16th Avenue will be permitted. Residents waiting to enter the site should line up along 16th Avenue around the perimeter of the park. Residents walking to the site should come the park entrance on South 13th Street. Residents walking to the site must wear a face mask/covering and follow social distancing guidelines. Residents who are driving or walking are asked to not arrive to the site until 8 a.m. This is being done to allow for normal traffic flow through the area and prevent any traffic back-ups from being created. The emergency food boxes contain enough food to provide about 40 meals. They consist of a variety of non-perishable food such as oatmeal, rice, fruit, peanut butter, jelly, shelf stable milk and canned vegetables, chili, soup and ravioli. Items may vary based upon their availability. Only one emergency food box will be placed into a vehicle's trunk or given to each resident who walks to the site. It is recommended that residents walking to the site bring a cart; the boxes weigh about 40 pounds. Buses will not be allowed to enter.
