We Can’t Let This Bank Fail

Some things turn out as planned, and some, turn out even better. Last month when I casually tweeted a friend who works for Coyne Public Relations (the PR company who does pro bono work for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey) to tell her that I’d like to organize a blogging campaign to spread awareness about the FoodBank and their need for donations, I had no idea that in just a few short weeks, we’d have over 100 bloggers ready and willing to make this campaign a reality.

The folks at the FoodBank and Coyne PR have continually thanked me for my efforts. What they don’t know, is that I’m the one who should be thanking them. I know this sounds trite, but its very true. The eagerness of the bloggers I have contacted and the resulting posts that I have been reading and will be reading all day, has been so moving and inspiring. This has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me, and that, my friends, is what giving is all about.

The political bloggers have come together in a bi-partisan effort to reach their readers and urge them to make a difference. The Mommy Bloggers are relaying their messages to other concerned Moms. The Food bloggers are dishing their posts to food lovers all over New Jersey. We’ve got history blogs, music blogs, humor blogs, real estate blogs, community blogs and online news sites. Today, the blogosphere carries a lot of clout. The participants of this campaign are speaking personally to their loyal readers, their fans. This is a very powerful form of communication. I am hoping we are successful in compelling our readers to take action now!

I took action yesterday. My family and I made a trip to our local Shoprite with our list of items in hand for our donation to St. Gregory’s Pantry in Point Pleasant Beach. I was surprised and pleased to see a poster of Bruce outside the store with a list of suggested items for purchase to assist the “We Can’t Let This Bank Fail” campaign, very cool. The boyfriend, kids and I split up and quickly filled our list. When we arrived at St. Gregory’s it was a buzz with activity. High School students and seniors were carrying toys, skateboards and all kinds of donations as part of their “Toys for Infants through Teens” campaign.My boys got to see and feel for themselves what its like to be a part of an organized campaign to help children just like them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this one experience is going to change them for life, but it was a start and something I will need to keep encouraging and nurturing through my own involvement.

So, what can you do? It doesn’t get any easier, truly.

  1. Make a monetary contribution: Visit http://www.njfoodbank.org/.
  2. Donate food: Drop off a bag of food at your local food pantry.
  3. Organize a food drive: We can help explain the logistics of starting a food drive. Just call 908-355-FOOD.
  4. Help “Check Out Hunger:” Look for the “Check Out Hunger” coupons at your local supermarket and donate. No donation is too small!

If I haven’t been compelling enough. If I have not convinced you that the need is real and desperate, please take a look at this video. There is no denying the empty shelves and the testimonies from employees who have never seen it so bad. And, please, visit some or all of the great blogs listed below. We also have some information on food drop off points below. Things seem to be coming in by the minutes, so I will be updating throughout the day. Hey, and if you’re a Fellow Tweet you can now Follow the FoodBank on Twitter.



Participating Bloggers for “We Can’t Let This Bank Fail” campaign
1)
JerseyBites.com
2) RedBankGreen.com
3) Jersey Girl Cooks
4)
Simply Sable
5) John and Lisa are eating in South Jersey
6) Padma’s Kitchen
7) Chefdruck
8) Life Lightly Salted
9) My Italian Grandmother
10) Cook Appeal
11) Crotchety Old Man Yells at Cars
12) Mommy Vents
13) This Full House
14) Paper Bridges
15) Motherhood Avenue
16) The Kamienski Chronicles
17)
Down the Shore with Jen
18) Fits and Giggles
19) House Hubbies Home Cooking
20) Nourish Ourselves
21) Partybluprints.com
22) Tommyeats.com
23) Off the broiler
24) Mrs. Mo’s New Jersey Baby
25) IamNotaChef.com
26)
SimplyBeer.com
27) HistoryGeek.com
28) Savy Source Newark
29) Momlogic New Jersey
30)
SurvivingNJ.com/blog
31) SurvivingNJ.blogspot.com
32) JerseyGirlGuide.com
33) Best of Roxy
34) Citizen Mom.net
35) Lynetteradio.com
36) Jersey Beat
37) Pop Vulture Phil
38) JerseySmarts.com
39) LongBeachIslandSummers.com
40) WildwoodSummers.com
41)
Mike Halfacres Blog
42) Somerset08873
43)
Family, Friends and Food
44) KateSpot.com
45) NewJerseyMomsBlog.com
46) JCRegister.com
47) New Jersey Real Estate Report
48) Riverviewobserver.com
49) More Monmouth Musings
50) Man of Infirmity
51) Another Delco Guy in South Jersey
52) SweetNicks.com
53) Average Noone
54) Cleary’s Notebook
55) Welcome to my Planet
56) The Center of New Jersey Life
57) Sharon’s Food Blog
58) Morristown, Chatham, Summit, and Madison NJ Real Estate
59) Midtown Direct Real Estate News
60) New Jersey Real Estate
61) BlowUpRadio.com
62) LazlosDen.com
63) The Ridgewood Blog
64) Book a Week with Jen
65) Banannie
66) Cartoongoddess.com
67) Matawan Advocate
68) Take Back the Kitchen
69) The Joy of Toast
70) Route 55
71) Montclair Kids.com
72) SaveJersey
73) Stompbox
74) Joe the Blogger
75) Environmental Republican
76) Stacey Snacks
77) Subversive Garden
78) New Jersey Pathfinder
79) Cooking With Friends Blog
80) Triple Venti
81) Read All About It
82) Rich Lee on Media
83) Likelihood of Success
84) Cape Cuisine
85) The Business At Hand
86) NewJerseyTaxRevolution
87) Figmentations
88) MiddletownMike
89) Caviar and Codfish
90) A Day in the Life
91) Mack’s Journey Through Life
92) Alice’s Restaurant
93) Tiger Hawk
94)Politics Patrol, The Bob Ingle Blog
95) The Food Chain
96) Henson’s Hell
97) Cranbury Conservative
98) Baristanet
99) New Jersey: Politics Unusual
100) Jersey Shore Blog
101) Plainfield Today
102) Beacon Bulletin
103) Journal Square Jersey City 07306
104)
Blogging Chris
105) One Aimless Writer
106) Sidewalk Politics
107) In The Lobby
108) The Cooks Tour
109) Morristown Pedal Pushers
110) NJ.com: Morristown Green
111) A-Musings
112) Fortunate Fool
113) Sid in the City
114) Tanya Dennis
115) K8et’s Ramblings

116) Goodies For Mom
117) A Food Coma
118) Parkway Reststop
119) The Kids Are Alright
120) All Lost In the Supermarket
121) Fausta’s Blog
122) Fred’s Fun Forum

Area Drop Off Points for Non-perishable goods:

Downs Ford
360 Hwy 37 East
Toms River, NJ 08753

The Cape May County Herald has become a drop off location for the New Jersey Food Bank and has promised a yummy goodie suprise from the shore to a random child that emails a picture of their collection and themselves on day of donation.