Township Leads in Online County Food Drive

In YouGiveGoods' latest food drive, in which municipalities compete against each other, is firmly in the lead with $536 in goods raised since Sept. 1.

is in second place with $212 in donated goods raised. Both amounts are as of Wednesday.

Eighteen Morris County municipalities are competing in the food drive in three separate divisions, based on population. Chatham Borough and Chatham Township are both in Division 2, along with:

• Butler
• Chester Township
• East Hanover
• Florham Park
• Hanover
• Lincoln Park
• Long Hill
• Rockaway Borough and
• Wharton

Goods donated from Division 2 towns will benefit the Interfaith Food Pantry and other local food pantries, whose donations tend to go down over the summer. Residents can purchase food online to donate to the contest, and YouGiveGoods will email a tax receipt.

The winner of each division will be recognized at the county's Human Services Public Officials Forum at the end of September.

Morris County started the food drive to replenish food stores for local pantries during September, which is Hunger Awareness Month. The initiative is called the Morris County Municipal Action to Curb Hunger (M.c.M.A.T.C.H.)

Carol McKinney is the executive director of Volunteer Management Center, one of the sponsors of M.c.M.A.T.C.H. "We hope that people will participate either through the online drives or that they will bring food to the drop off points that have been setup," she said.

According to a press release from YouGiveGoods, "nearly one-third of Morris County residents live on incomes that fall below the level of self-sufficiency," and can benefit from the services local food panties offer.

To view the contest's progress, click here.