The Kiwanis Club of Montclair is hosting an essentials drive that will benefit Toni’s Kitchen, Human Needs Food Kitchen and Montclair Mutual Aid. On Sunday, Jan. 21 members of the Kiwanis Club will be at the Brookdale ShopRite, 1409 Broad St. to collect donations and hand out flyers to shoppers. Unlike a food drive, the Kiwanis Club is asking for essentials such as feminine hygiene products, baby care, personal hygiene products, pet food and cleaning supplies.
In addition to shopping in person, you can also participate in the drive by purchasing items from an Amazon wishlist before midnight on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Individuals who benefit from programs like NJ Snap or EBT aren’t allowed to buy non-food items with their benefits and food banks don’t always offer items such as pet food and diapers. As they gear up for a hopefully successful drive, member of the Kiwanis Club of Montclair, Joshua Crandall, said, “An essentials drive is filling in a need that there really isn’t another path towards.”
The Kiwanis Club of Montclair provides for the community all year round with events such as their annual shoe drive which raises money for their scholarship program. The Kiwanis Club of Montclair rechartered in 2019 after an absence of nearly 10 years following a history of serving Montclair for the previous 50 years. Kiwanis Club’s are nationally recognized and hold service projects and fundraisers to benefit the community and children. For more information on the Kiwanis Club of Montclair, visit their website here.