Demand Surges At Food Pantry In Newark Amid Coronavirus

NEWARK, NJ — It’s a tough burden to shoulder when you suddenly become the only food pantry around. And it’s even tougher when you’re located in the largest city in New Jersey.

Already stretched thin before the coronavirus pandemic, many food pantries and soup kitchens in Newark have been seeing a surge in requests for help over the past few months. And Mercy House is no exception, its staff reported earlier this month.

Mercy House, a ministry within the Archdiocese of Newark, has been rocked by the highest demand for food, clothes and toiletries it’s ever seen since opening in the South Ward of the city in 2018.

Meanwhile, donations have seen a steep drop, a devastating one-two punch, staff say.

Volunteers at the Catholic resource and referral center have been giving away bags of food to the needy almost as quickly as the donations come in. Normally, Mercy House gets donations and volunteers from local Catholic schools in the archdiocese. But since those schools shut their doors, that source has dried up.

“There’s a lack of food,” Mercy House Director Cheryl Riley said. “In the first few weeks when we reopened, we were bone dry – there was nothing.”

“We’re wiped out of all our clothes,” Riley continued. “Everything. Bedding. We had people that were counting on us to help get small household items, and everything came to a halt.”

• See related article: Coronavirus Increases Hunger (Find A Food Bank Near Essex County)

Like many of its social service peers in the city, Mercy House closed in March because of pandemic lockdown measures. The organization reopened in May for one day a week on Tuesdays with new health protocols.

Since then, the volunteers and other people who keep the ministry running have been doing the best they can, making sure to abide by COVID-19 safety protocol while also serving more and more in-need residents.

But it’s not what it used to be, by a long shot, they say.

“You feel bad because the whole purpose was to let people come in and give them dignity to be able to look on the racks and pick out what they want,” Riley said.

“They’re not going to the mall shopping,” Riley emphasized. “They just basically have what we give them.”

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Donations of clothes and household items are starting to trickle in, but food is still in high demand, Riley said. And the extra demand due to unemployment – and underemployment among job seekers – isn’t helping matters.

As other food pantries that serve the neighborhood struggled to reopen, Mercy House has been trying to pick up the slack.

“We were the food pantry,” Riley said. “We were making bags and bags and bags of food because we were the only gig in town until the others opened.”

While Mercy House may be short on food and clothing, there is one asset that it hasn’t lost, Riley said: heart.

“There’s something about it at the Mercy House that hooks you in,” she said. “People want to come and help down there. They want to volunteer, they want to help, they want to donate, they want to give. It’s a feel-good thing. You’re helping people. Just think about not having anything. That’s what it is. The need is tremendous.”

Visit www.rcan.org/respect-life/mercy-house or call 973-497-4350 to arrange a donation.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

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