Message from Councilwoman Ellen Zimmerman – June 12, 2026
In the June 5 church bulletin at St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church, there was an article about how the parish food pantry is running low on essential items and extended a plea to the Scotch Plains community for additional donations.
“We are hoping our generous community can lend a hand,” the bulletin reads. “Every donation, big or small, goes a long way.”
The church on Westfield Avenue is looking for such items as toothbrushes, instant oatmeal packets, juice boxes, plain white rice, toilet paper and cooking oil.
Meanwhile, at the Church of Immaculate Heart on Martine Avenue, pantry organizers are making a special call-out for pasta, tuna and cereal, as supplies are critically low. They note the location of the wooden crate in the back of the church building, where these items and others, are graciously welcomed.
While these requests are certainly concerning, it is not surprising. As a professional social worker who has worked for years in a food bank, I’ve witnessed a predictable and painful trend when summer arrives. The people who need food banks the most show up in greater numbers, while the donations that sustain them quietly disappear.
Food pantries are now facing a spike in demand at the exact moment donations drop. And the reason isn't hard to find.
During the school year, nearly 28 million children eat lunch at school, with millions more eating breakfast there at free or reduced cost. When the final bell rings in June, those meals vanish — and families with food-insecure children turn to local pantries to fill the gap.
The summer donation slump is driven by a mix of psychology and logistics. Food drives are heavily associated with the holiday season; Thanksgiving, Christmas, and back-to-school campaigns anchor most charitable giving cycles. Summer, by contrast, is a time of travel, vacation, and distraction.
At the same time, rising temperatures push utility costs higher, squeezing family budgets that might otherwise have room for a donation.
This summer's slump arrives amid an already strained system. In Union County, 10.9% of our fellow residents (more than 62,000 people) experience food insecurity. Driven by the high cost of living and stagnant wages, the county faces critical access gaps in lower-income municipalities such as Elizabeth and Plainfield.
To combat summer hunger, the USDA funded the Summer Service Program enables local organizations to establish summer meal delivery sites to provide meals to food insecure children. The summer meal programs are typically located at schools, parks, community centers, housing projects, etc. Yet, the programs only reach about 16% of the children who need it.
What We Can Do
The math is simple, even if the problem isn't. Food pantries need donations most in the months when people are least likely to think about them. A cash or food donation in July does as much — arguably more — than one made at Christmas. Hunger, after all, doesn't take a summer vacation.
If you want to help, visit here for all the food pantry locations in Scotch Plains.
I also encourage you to reach out to our local houses of worship and social service agencies to explore volunteer opportunities, as summer vacations create staffing gaps in a 24/7 food delivery system that never can take a break.
Or bring just one food item to St. Bart’s this week. If we all did the same, its shelves would be overflowing throughout summer.
