YOUTH GROUP

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

2013 -2014

FOR I WAS HUNGRY & YOU FED ME Matthew: 25

Sponsored by CATHOLIC CHARITIES

EMERGENCY FOOD & NUTRITION WORK

37 Evergreen Place

East Orange, New Jersey 07018

________________

Catholic Charities’

Emergency Food & Nutrition Network

The Catholic Charities’ Emergency Food and

Nutrition Network (CCEFNN) provides food,

other basic necessities and support services

to faith-based food pantries in the

Newark Archdiocese to relieve the effects

of poverty and help those in need.

The CCEFNN serves as many as 3100 individuals

per month.

We assist faith-based food pantries in all four

counties of the Newark Archdiocese: Bergen,

Essex, Hudson and Union counties.

All goods and services received from the CCEFNN

are free.

The CCEFNN is almost completely volunteer –

based.

The CCEFNN relies on the generosity of our

donors for a variety of healthy and nutritious food

and other basic necessities for individuals and

families facing difficult times in the Newark

Archdiocese.

1

Reflection

“The measure of the greatness

of a society

is found in the way it treats

those most in need,

those who have nothing

apart from their poverty”

Pope Francis

PRAYER TO REDUCE POVERTY

IN AMERICA

Good and Gracious God,

we pray for your assistance in alleviating

the pain and needless struggles of our

brothers and sisters in need.

Working together and with your grace,

we know that each person deserves

and should have affordable housing,

adequate food, health care, and

economic security.

Loving God, we know that

“whatever we ask, in Your name,

it will be granted to us.”

So help us in trying to alleviate poverty,

And may our efforts give you praise and be a.

Sign of your kingdom on earth.

AMEN.

2

TEN IDEAS FOR FOOD DRIVES

Make colorful posters noting the specifics of your food

drive. Display posters to promote drive.

Create a giant thermometer or can to measure progress

toward your goal. Place in the entrance for all to see.

Decorate bags to take home and fill with food and return.

Challenge youth group & faith community to fill a van

(Cram A Van), school bus (Stuff A Bus), gym or other

designated area with food.

Build simple or elaborate sculptures using canned goods.

Ask group to contribute the money they would have

spent on a treat to help feed the hungry. With the

donated funds, take a group to the grocery store to select

and purchase nutritious food supplies for a local pantry

or CCEFNN.

Collect food and funds at sports events such as

basketball games, soccer etc., and donate to CCEFNN

for food supplies.

Hold a Cans Film Festival where people donate cans of

food as the price of admission to a movie & support the

CCEFNN pantries.

Designate theme drives.

Hold a car wash or a bake sale and donate the money

raised to the Catholic Charities Emergency Food

Network for the purchase of food

Peanut Butter

&

Jelly Drive

This is a great drive to get the

school year off to a fun start!

Peanut Butter and Jelly

is the ultimate emergency food

for families and individuals in need!

This drive will take place from

September 16 – October 25, 2013

3

HARVEST OF HOPE

Holiday Canned Food Collection

This drive would get anyone

into the Holiday Season.

It provides the opportunity for

youth groups to remember

those in need during October,

November and December!

This annual canned food

collection stocks the shelves

of 50 emergency food

pantries across the four

counties of the Newark Archdiocese.

Food donations will be picked up by the CCEFNN van.

WINTER’S COMING Hats, Gloves, Scarves,

Mittens and Socks Drive

This annual drive provides hats, gloves, scarves, mittens

and socks to pantries in the Archdiocese for pantry clients

who cannot afford these items for their family.

All sizes for adults and children are needed.

This drive takes place in

November and December 2013

4

HELP A FAMILY AT CHRISTMAS

Share Your Joy

This is a wonderful opportunity for making this Christmas

holiday brighter for critically needy families in the Newark

Archdiocese. Families who wouldn’t celebrate Christmas

without some type of outside support are referred by

Catholic Charities’ program staff and food pantry managers

and linked with a donor.

Donors are provided with a family profile describing the

client’s situation ages/sizes of family members and other

pertinent information. Donors are then responsible for

providing 2-3 new age appropriate gifts for each family

member and food grocery gift cards

Help A Family At Christmas

November 1 - December 13, 2013

“Good Nutrition

Begins with Breakfast”

Food Drive

This drive is a great way to help poor families, the elderly and

homebound who live on fixed incomes and struggle to afford

nutritious food. Items requested: hot/cold cereal, canned fruit

juice/juice boxes, powdered milk, breakfast bars and pancake

mix.

This drive will be conducted from

January 6 – February 28, 2014

5

Have A Heart Baby Emergency Food Supplies

This annual baby food and supplies drive provides baby items,

formula, baby food and diapers for newborns and toddlers to

families in need.

Suggested Items

Baby Food Formula Diapers (all sizes)

Baby Cereal Bottle Brush Rash Ointment

Baby Juices Pacifiers Baby Lotion

Spill Proof Cups Q-Tips Baby Outfits

Crib Sheets Blankets Towels

This drive will take place from January 6 to February 21, 2014

The Souper Bowl

You can star in the Souper Bowl of Caring!

You won’t get blitzed or sacked. In fact,

everyone comes out of this game a winner.

This faith-based crusade against hunger is led

by young people who collect donations

as parishioners leave religious services on

Super Bowl Sunday.

Donations collected by each church go

directly to soup kitchens, food cupboards, or

charities of their choice like the Emergency Food and Nutrition

Network of Catholic Charities. For more

information, visit www.souperbowl.org

or call 1-800-358-SOUP

This drive takes place in

January - February 2014

6

Lenten Loaves & Fishes

Food Drive

This Lenten season we invite youth groups to help in feeding

the hungry in the Newark Archdiocese. You can make a

difference in the lives of low-income families, seniors and

individuals threatened by hunger. By donating food you give

nourishment and support to those facing difficult times.

The EFNN van is available to pick up the collection.

This drive will take place from

March 5 – April 14,2014

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES Operation Rice Bowl

This is an annual Lenten collection for all parishes and schools

sponsored nationally by Catholic Relief Services. It is aimed

at raising awareness about the poor and to raise funds for the

hungry, locally and internationally. Through prayer, sacrifice

and action, Operation Rice Bowl provides short term

emergency assistance for the hungry poor as well as long term

solutions to end poverty and malnutrition. Twenty five (25%)

percent of the money raised will go to the Catholic Charities’

Emergency Food and Nutrition Network for the purchase of

food. Excellent Lenten resource materials are provided by

Catholic Relief Services

This appeal will begin on

Ash Wednesday March 5, 2014

throughout the Lenten Season.

7

Eight ways to Integrate Operation Rice Bowl into your

Youth Ministry Programs

1. Encourage the parish Youth Group to participate in Catholic

Relief Services’ Food Fast Program, a 24-hour fast and

education program, designed for youth in grades 8-12. Please

call 1-800-222-0025 to order your FREE materials. Visit:

www.foodfast.org.

2. Show the Operation Rice Bowl (ORB) video to a class or

assembly of students to motivate them to participate in Operation

Rice Bowl. If you have not yet ordered this video, please call

973-266-7941.

3. Encourage the youth group to sponsor a soup supper for the

parish. During the supper, have the youth talk about issues in the

developing world. Use the stories on the Home Calendar Guide

as a reference.

4. Involve the confirmation classes in Operation Rice Bowl. On a

retreat, discuss the work of Catholic Relief Services and our

moral obligation to help our poor brothers and sisters around the

world. Encourage them to volunteer at a local project supported

by the 25% ORB contribution.

5. Hold a fundraising event (i.e., car wash, bake sale or plant sale)

with the proceeds going to Operation Rice Bowl. Before the

event, pray for the success of the event and that participants may

remember all those who will be helped by the work. After the

event, discuss how the money raised can be used by the

beneficiaries of Operation Rice Bowl and Catholic Relief

Services. 6. Involve the youth group in the distribution and/or collection of

Rice Bowls at the parish liturgy.

7. Have youth make an Operation Rice Bowl banner to display in

the church during Lent or during the collection of Rice Bowls at

the parish liturgy.

8. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Call

Catholic Charities’ Emergency Food and Nutrition Network to

find out how the 25% is used in your diocese. Invite staff to

come and speak to youth.

Pennies from Heaven Collection

“Every Penny Counts”

This collection of change can be done by Youth Groups

throughout the four counties of the Newark Archdiocese.

What You Can Do To Help

Collect the pennies/change in a plastic jar at home or in

Youth Group.

Weigh and count the pennies/change. Keep a record.

Bring the pennies to Youth Group meeting the week of

the drive.

Arrange for the Catholic Charities emergency food van

to come and pick up the penny collection.

The Emergency Food and Nutrition Network will buy

food for those in need with the money collected.

Funds raised will be designated for the purchase of food for

the CCEFNN fifty member pantry network during the summer

months when pantries are hard- pressed for nutritious food

supplies.

This drive will take place from

April 1 – May 9, 2014

8

“HUNGER DOESN’T TAKE A VACATION”

FOOD DRIVE

For those we serve the summer can be a difficult time. Families

who depend on school lunch and breakfast programs to help stretch

their limited food budget must now find a way to provide

additional meals at home. Working parents also have an additional

expense to pay for child care over the summer months. This places

a greater strain on the family budget. Unfortunately, food

donations to the CCEFNN dramatically decrease at this time of

year so we have little to offer.

You can help by sponsoring a food drive in the Spring to stock

the pantry shelves for Summer.

This drive takes place from May 5 – May 30, 2014

Personal Care Boxes

Many of the people we help with food do without some

personal care items. These high priced items are not covered

by food stamps and can be expensive.

Any of these products assembled in shoe boxes or zip lock bags

would be helpful to those we serve.

Toothbrush Mittens Shaving Cream

Toothpaste Deodorant Hat

Soap Shampoo Tissues

Socks Hairbrush Hand Lotion

Gloves Band Aids

Can be done anytime throughout the school year

9

Supermarket

FILL- THE- CART

Food Drive

Interest a local supermarket to have a

one – day food drive. If the store agrees, the drive does not require

much planning, although they are labor –intensive the day of the

drive.

Volunteers stand outside the supermarket in 2 -3 hour shifts,

handing out flyers with a list of most needed items & asking

shoppers to purchase 1-2 items on the list for Catholic Charities’

Emergency Food Network. With a few shopping carts ready,

volunteers receive the items from the shoppers as they leave the

store.

CCEFNN provides the flyers.

The collected food is bagged/ boxed and delivered to the CCEFNN

or picked up by the CCEFNN cargo van.

Can be done anytime during the year

Ten Things You Can Do To Help

Your Neighbor in Need

1. PRAY for those who are hungry.

2. DONATE to your local pantry.

3. PLANT a community garden and share with a local

pantry.

4. VOLUNTEER in a pantry or soup kitchen.

5. EAT a simple meal and give the money you save to the

CCEFNN or a local food pantry.

6. SUPPORT the C C Emergency Food & Nutrition

Network

7. ORGANIZE a retreat day about hunger.

8. SURF the internet for websites about hunger like:

www.endhungernj.org

9. STUDY the issue of hunger and ways to help.

10. WRITE letters to your elected officials voicing your

concerns about hunger

.

10

Websites

Archdiocese of Newark : www.rcan.org

Catholic Charities- www.ccannj.org

Catholic Campaign for Human Development –

www.usccb.org/cchd

Catholic Relief Services – www.crs.org

Congressional Hunger Center – www.hungercenter.org

Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger

www.feedingminds.org

Food Research and Action- Center – www.frac.org

New Jersey’s Website for Food & Nutritional Information

www.endhungernj.org

Poverty USA – www.povertyusa.org

Bread for the World- www.bread.org

Save The Children – www.savethechildren.org

Share Our Strength- www.strength.org

Souper Bowl Sunday – www.souperbowl.org

World Food Day- www.WorldFoodDayUSA.org

Reflection

“ Because everybody can serve….

You don’t have to make your subject and

your verb agree to serve.

You don’t have to know about Plato &

Aristotle to serve.

You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory

of relativity to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace.

A soul generated by love.

And you can be that servant.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

11

For promotional materials for specific food drives

and

additional information contact:

Emergency Food & Nutrition Network

of

Catholic Charities

37 Evergreen Place

East Orange, NJ 07018-2154

(973) 266-7941

Email: stobin@ccannj.org

THANK YOU FOR YOUR

GENEROSITY

and

CONTINUED SUPPORT

.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES

EMERGENCY FOOD & NUTRITION NETWORK

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

2013-2014

Please select the projects you would like to help with

This year and fax the form to the CCEFNN office.

We will send you promotional material for each drive

you select.

1. Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive

September 16 to October 25, 2013 _________

2. Harvest of Hope

Holiday Canned Food Collection

October, November, December 2013 __________

3. Winter’s Coming

Hat, Gloves & Scarves Drive

November & December 2013 ___________

4. Help a Family at Christmas

November 1 – December 13, 2013 ___________

5. Good Nutrition Begins with

Breakfast Collection

January 6 – February 28, 2014 ___________

6. Have a “Heart” Baby Supplies Drive

January 6 to February 21, 2014 ___________

Program _________________________________________

Address_______________________________________

12

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH MINISTRY

2013 - 2014

7. Souper Bowl Collection

January – February 2014 ___________

8. Lenten Loaves & Fishes Drive

March 5, 2014 – April 11, 2014 ___________

9. CRS’ Operation Rice Bowl ___________

Lenten Season

10. “Pennies from Heaven” Collection

April 1 – May 9, 2014 ___________

11. Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation Food Drive

May 5, 2014 – May 30, 2014 ___________

12. Personal Care Boxes

Anytime throughout the school year ___________

13. Fill-the-Cart Supermarket Food Drive___________

Year round

Return completed form to: CCEFNN Office

37 Evergreen Place

East Orange, NJ 07018

Fax #: (973) 675-7935

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Contact Person ____________________________________

Phone #____________________Email:__________________