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Stuff the Bus and Cram the Cruiser food drives a success

The food drives, hosted last weekend, support food pantries throughout Sussex County.

| 22 Nov 2021 | 11:09
    Officer Brian Porter, Corporal Mark Mastandrea, and Corporal Scott Elig of the Sparta Police Department, with Eric Nielsen of Frankin Sussex Automall, Mohawk House’s Steve Scro, and Sparta Police Chief Neil Spidaletto at the Sparta Stop & Shop’s Cram the Cruiser food drive. “There are so many people that go hungry every day, that is so sad,” said Nielsen. “I am happy that we cold help some of them have food on their table every day, not just Thanksgiving.”
    Officer Brian Porter, Corporal Mark Mastandrea, and Corporal Scott Elig of the Sparta Police Department, with Eric Nielsen of Frankin Sussex Automall, Mohawk House’s Steve Scro, and Sparta Police Chief Neil Spidaletto at the Sparta Stop & Shop’s Cram the Cruiser food drive. “There are so many people that go hungry every day, that is so sad,” said Nielsen. “I am happy that we cold help some of them have food on their table every day, not just Thanksgiving.”

Last weekend’s Stuff the Bus and Cram the Cruiser food drives were a success, beating 2020 in total donations. The initiatives provide food to those in need throughout Sussex County.

Byram and Sparta police departments hosted Cram the Cruiser drives, encouraging shoppers to “cram” their police cruisers with turkeys and nonperishables. Sparta police, in tandem with Mohawk House’s Steve Scro, Pat LaFrieda Meat’s Mark Pastore, and Franklin Sussex Automall’s Eric Nielsen, coordinated the Sparta Stop & Shop’s Cram the Cruiser initiative.

“It’s important for me that people remember that giving spirit throughout the year,” said Scro.

Lakeland Bank, and the ShopRites in Sparta, Newton, and Franklin hosted Stuff the Bus drives, filling the county’s Skylands Ride buses with food for those in need.

“Now, there are so many more people seeking services at the food pantries because there’s been tremendous inflation,” added Sussex County Department of Health and Human Services administrator Carol Novrit. “There are working families that have to put gas in their cars, and pay what they have to pay at the grocery stores, as well as heating your house...they just can’t make ends meet without using the food pantry as well.”

Novrit expressed thanks to the community, volunteers and police departments for their help this year.

“The community was so generous,” she said.