It all began in 2010 when Maura Swisher, then a senior at St. John Vianney High School, needed to complete a community service project. Her family had long been volunteers at a local food pantry, so Maura decided to hold a food drive in their neighborhood. Their goal was to collect 2,000 lbs. of food.
On October 15, the Swishers held the eighth annual Foodstock at the Freehold Township Independent Firehouse #1. Attendees were asked to bring donations of non-perishable food and enjoy a picnic style dinner with free food and drinks. Live music is still a defining feature of the event, and this year’s lineup included a succession of local bands including Twice is Good, The Rock and Roll Chorus, Strumberry Pie, and the Eddie Testa Band.
Foodstock 2017 was by far the most successful to date: more than 53,000 lbs. of food was collected, which is enough to provide more than 44,000 meals! Lowy’s Moving Service, a Wheaton Worldwide agent, once again donated the use of their truck for the weekend and volunteered to deliver all of the donations to Lunch Break, which “provides food, clothing, life skills and fellowship to those in need in Monmouth County and beyond.”
Since 2010, more than 265,000 lbs. of food has been collected at Foodstock. Thank you to the Swishers for making this an annual tradition. It’s something we look forward to every October, and we hope to continue working together to fight hunger in Monmouth County for many years to come.
Learn more about how YOU can get involved with Move For Hunger.
