Community FoodBank of NJ Loses Tractor Trailer Full of Food Due to Truck Fire

It is bad enough that more and more people in New Jersey are having to rely on the help of local food banks to meet their daily needs.

Now comes this story:

This is about the loss of a tractor trailer full of food, including 12 pallets of fresh produce to be delivered to their facility in Hillside.

According to another report:

The Food Bank says it’s going to be tough to replace the donated truck, the front third of which was charred and blackened by the flames and heat.

The 15,000 pounds of cabbage, peppers, eggplants and other produce was also valuable, they said.

“It is an awful loss,” said Kathleen DiChiara, the president and CEO of the FoodBank. "We had groups here waiting for the produce today."

The truck had been on its way from a produce pick-up in Vineland back to the Community FoodBank’s headquarters in Hillside.

DiChiara said the truck was valued at roughly $170,000 — and suspects the FoodBank will be responsible for much of the cost even after insurance is factored in.

The refrigerated tractor-trailer was donated by Dunkin’ Donuts to Feeding America and was used in disaster response, such as tornado-devastated areas of Alabama last year. It was also used to pick up donated food locally.

Anyone who depends on the vital services community based organizations like the Community FoodBank provides knows what a devastating loss this is.

You can always reach out to them to offer any assistance you can through their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/communityfoodbankofnj

Or you can also visit their website for more information on how you can donate.