The Community Food Bank of NJ (CFBNJ) works with the mission to fight against hunger and poverty by assisting those in need and seeking long-term solutions. It tries to engage, educate and empower all sectors of society in the battle. The Food Bank aims to fill the emptiness caused by hunger with FOOD, HELP and HOPE.
The CFBNJ has been serving homebound seniors, women, infants and children through its Meal Delivery Programs since its foundation in the year 1982. Today the CFBNJ distributes 43 million pounds of food per year to more than 1,000 non-profit programs, as well as over 400 programs served by its Partner Distribution Organizations.
Thus, the CFBNJ shares similar goals with Vibha. Vibha volunteers believe that every child in need must receive adequate nutrition, shelter and education. If asked to justify the reason for volunteering, we would humbly state that our services to these children would definitely bring about a change in our community.
Generally, immigrants tend to help resolve problems in the country they come from. But it is equally important to extend services to the community in which one lives, the community that has been fulfilling essential life needs. So our Vibha NJ Action Center organized this local volunteering event on April 23, 2016 at CFBNJ. We were scheduled for 2 hours to work. When we reached there, we saw a huge number of other groups and single volunteers who had gathered to donate their time. It was truly encouraging to see each volunteer filled with great energy and enthusiasm — some making boxes, some packing food and some stocking school supplies. Our group chose to make boxes for food distribution. At the end of 2 hours, we made about 270 boxes! It was, indeed, a gratifying experience as we spent quality time with each other — chit chatting, fun making while assembling those boxes. Such local events are just as much important as to raise funds remotely for kids in India. Such events provide us with a strong platform for developing strong ties and emotional bonding with each volunteer and also for team building, which are imperative values for any volunteer based organization.
As a whole, this was a successful attempt to reciprocate what our community has provided us with for all these years. At the same time we spent quality time with each other and got to know each other on a personal level.