Family Promise Has the Best Volunteers

Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night…

When the weather forecast called for thunderstorms on Monday July 18th, none of us expected the kind of flooding we saw all around Bergen County. Initially no one was worried about the Walk-In Dinner Program.  But the weather –and the road conditions- deteriorated rapidly. Team Leader Brett Norton called to say he wasn’t sure he could make it to the shelter to distribute meals. All of the roads surrounding his home were flooded.

If the volunteers, or the food provider, were unable to make it to Hackensack, it would have been the first time in 31 years that the individuals and families who rely on receiving a nightly meal from the Walk-in Dinner would have been disappointed. Even when blizzards are predicted, Family Promise has found a way to make sure people have something to eat. (Volunteers hand out two meals the night before ensuring that people have food to eat and that no one has to be out in dangerous weather conditions).

You probably know where this story is going! After many calls and email messages, eight dedicated volunteers made it to the shelter. And food for 150 was delivered by the determined driver from Lepore’s Italian Market of Westwood.

Special thanks and admiration go to Team Leaders Brett Norton and Beth Falker, and driving team extraordinaire Rick Hampson and Larry Bernstein who braved the roads and got to the motels to distribute the meals. The team was rounded out by Vicky Li, Karyle Goldstein, and Jeanette Colon and Sagar Patel from the food provider, Antheus Capital.

We often say that Family Promise has the best volunteers. On Monday, they came through and proved that once again!