New Jersey
Food banks in New Jersey need support. Here’s how you can help
Demands rise, but support dwindles
When millions turned to food banks during the height of the pandemic, funding and support kept pace with that demand.
However, the pandemic-era safety net programs have ended, and consumers are still seeing the effects of increasing food prices due to inflation.
“When families are spending almost $375 more a month on their budget, if they ‘net zero’ [before,] now they’re going to be in a hole $375, they have to go somewhere to have relief,” Wasiak said.
There is also concern that a second Trump administration will seek sweeping cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, or food stamps.
McCarthy expects that the amount of food from the federal government “will probably go down again.”
“If we look at historical trends, we do have an administration coming in that we’ve experienced before,” she said. “We can look at what the food level was at that time, and it was lower.”
Though Trump and then-House Speaker Paul Ryan sought cuts to food stamp programs, they were largely left unscathed. The pandemic caused Congress to strengthen the programs. Policy experts predict cuts to food stamps under the new administration will be junked from any tax bill, especially if the legislation includes corporate tax cuts.
How can you help? Cash is best during the holiday season
Both Wasiak and McCarthy said monetary donations are the best way to support your local book bank, especially during the holiday season.
“For every dollar, it helps us purchase two meals because of our purchasing power that we have,” Wosiak said, adding that it also helps them intentionally seek nutritious and cultural food.
The Food Bank of South Jersey and the Community Food Bank of New Jersey list ways to help on their website.
McCarthy said she understands that people would like to do something “concrete” to help. Citing the upcoming gubernatorial election, she says residents can advocate for resources to combat food insecurity.
“I’m not suggesting who people should vote for, that’s up to them,” she said. “But if you’re someone who’s politically engaged, making sure your elected officials know that this matters.”
Apart from money, residents can also support in kind. Many food banks appreciate year-round volunteers. You can check with your local food bank about available volunteering slots. McCarthy said volunteer spots for her organization are booked through the end of the year.
“If people remember that we’re here year-round and come back in January, February, it’s definitely very helpful,” she said. “That’s kind of the time of year where people might not be thinking about it as much.”
“Dangerous heat is expected to continue across much of our region through today, with several record highs likely to be challenged again. High temperatures are forecast to peak into the low to mid 90s across most of the area,” the National Weather Service said Friday.
A Heat Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. across the state except for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.
PHILADELPHIA – Philip McPherson II, a 37-year-old from Riverside, New Jersey, was sentenced Thursday, June 11, to 78 months in prison for his role in a 2022 plane crash in Lehigh County that killed a student pilot, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Sentencing and charges for fatal Lehigh Valley crash
What we know:
United States District Judge John M. Gallagher sentenced McPherson to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, a $4,300 special assessment, and $19,530 in restitution. Judge Gallagher also barred McPherson from working in the aviation industry.
McPherson pleaded guilty in October to involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of an administrative proceeding, and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate.
The backstory:
Court filings show that on September 28, 2022, McPherson took off from Queen City Airport in Allentown as the pilot-in-command with student pilot K.K. and crashed shortly after, resulting in K.K.’s death.
Prosecutors said McPherson acted with gross negligence, knowing he was not competent to fly as pilot-in-command. He had two prior crashes, nearly a third, and failed a reexamination for his pilot’s certificate in September 2021.
McPherson voluntarily surrendered his pilot’s certificate in October 2021 and let his Temporary Airman Certificate expire in November 2021, acknowledging his inability to meet FAA standards.
He admitted to flying with passengers without a valid FAA pilot’s certificate between October 12, 2021, and September 20, 2022.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, FAA, and Salisbury Township Police Department worked on the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Schopf and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie Miller.
What we don’t know:
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The Source: Information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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On Sunday, June 14, a bell will ring at the Historic Olde Courthouse in Mount Holly, New Jersey, as part of a festival to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
In the summer of 1776, officials rang the same bell at the courthouse in Burlington City, the seat of Burlington County at the time, after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The bell was moved to Mount Holly in 1796 when that city became the Burlington County seat.
Marisa Bozarth, Burlington County’s museum curator of history, said courthouse bells were rung in the 1700s to signify that something important was taking place.
“They would have rung it when there was a large court case of any significance, when the jury was coming back, so people knew to return to the courthouse to hear the verdict,” she said. “The bell was also rung any time there was any public reading of any sort of important document. It was their way to get the information out to the masses quickly.”
After the wording of the Declaration of Independence was finalized and the document was signed, every state received a copy so it could be shared with the people living there. At the time, some Burlington County residents wanted to remain loyal to Britain, while others supported the movement for independence, Bozarth said.
“I would think it was a bit of a scary time because when the Declaration of Independence was finally signed and then presented, it meant we were really going to war,” she said. “We were declaring our independence, but we weren’t officially an independent nation yet. It meant a scary time was coming because Britain wasn’t going to accept that and just let us walk away.”
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