Scenes from this Side of the Bridge: Who's Hungry?

I pulled the car over into an empty spot and parked on Lemoine Ave a block away from the Fort Lee Plaza last Saturday evening. After locking the car, Susan and I walked slowly toward the new Korean bar and restaurant, Totowa. I had told her that we would be meeting a couple friends for dinner. As we ambled down the sidewalk, we stopped for a moment in front of the Sushi House so she could look in the window.  

“Hey, this place looks pretty good,” she said. “We should try it out some time.” The breeze picked up for a moment and she clutched my arm. “Let’s keep walking, it’s kind of cold,” she said. We walked a little quicker down the block until we reached the entrance to Totowa.

We climbed the metal stairs outside the restaurant and I opened the door for her. She stepped into the bar area, and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw a table full of her friends right in the middle of the bar. “Surprise!” one of them yelled. “Happy Birthday!” yelled a few others. Their greeting wasn’t coordinated but Susan was happy nonetheless.

After everyone had greeted her and wished her a happy birthday, we all ordered food and some drinks. As the dishes started to arrive at our table from the kitchen, I heard several people comment on the very generous portions.

“There’s no way I’m going to be able to finish this,” my friend Chris said, grinning happily as a giant, steaming bowl of noodles and seafood was set in front of him. The spicy kimchi and sausage soup I plowed into was also much more than enough to fill me up. Another friend ordered a plate of sweet, crispy chicken wings topped with sesame seeds. Of course, this was all complemented by ice-cold beer served in mugs shaped like boots. After everyone had done their best to finish their food, it was easy to see that we would all be bringing take-out containers home.

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On Thanksgiving Day, our table was difficult to find since it was almost completely covered with platters of turkey, ham, bacon wrapped asparagus, mashed potatoes, and seemingly an endless supply of other sides. As we all gathered around and loaded our plates, one of my first thoughts was that there was too much food and it would be impossible to finish it that day. As it turned out, I was right. After the meal, the refrigerator was jammed packed with left-overs (In fact, it still has a few containers of the food we didn’t finish last Thursday.). Many of us probably shared the same type of experience; too much food and not enough mouths to finish it.

As I glanced at my friends’ facebook statuses later on Thanksgiving Day, it was obvious that I wasn’t the only one who was now fighting off a food induced coma. A few friends mentioned that they were stuffed to capacity. Still more of them wondered how they would be able to lose the pounds they gained over dinner.

The amount of food available to most of us here in Fort Lee and in Bergen County amazes me. Most of us have plenty to eat and our cupboards and refrigerators are well stocked with things to eat. When we run out, we make a quick trip to the grocery store or perhaps grab some food at a local restaurant.

Sometimes, on TV and in the news we hear about people in far away countries going hungry. Some of us make donations to nonprofit organizations dedicated to trying to alleviate the hunger situation in those countries. Most of us have seen these types of stories often enough to shake our heads at the terrible situations and then quickly forget them when the next news story comes on. Count me among that group. In my ignorance, I was completely surprised to learn recently that the hunger problem is not just something that happens in foreign countries but actually affects some of our neighbors here in Bergen County as well. Just a few miles away in Englewood, some children are currently going hungry on weekends.

During the past few months, nurses at Dr. John Grieco Elementary School and the DA Quarles Early Childhood Center found that some of the students at both of these public schools were coming to class on Mondays suffering from headaches, stomachaches, inability to concentrate, etc. After looking further at the demographics of the children who were reporting these ailments, the nurses found that these children also happened to be those who were receiving subsidized or free lunches. Eventually, it was discovered that these children were not receiving enough food at home on the weekends. As a result, the symptoms I just mentioned were appearing on school days.  

It’s incredible to think that in an area where most have plenty to be thankful for, and sometimes too much to eat, there are still those who are going hungry. While we sometimes make charitable donations to nonprofit organizations, what are we doing individually to help those around us with basic needs? Are we searching for ways to improve the lives of those around us?

The Center for Food Action designed a program called the Weekend Snack Pack Program to combat the hunger problem in Englewood. A few weeks ago, staffers at the center, along with some members of Metro Community Church, worked together to make about 700 packets of food to be distributed to children in Englewood on Fridays to help them get through the weekends with full stomachs. While perhaps not a permanent solution, this definitely is making a difference in the lives of some of the youngest members of the Englewood community.

As we step into the holiday season with thoughts of sales, shopping, traditional holiday food, and all the usual hustle and bustle, what can we do to take time out of our busy schedules and make our community a better place? What can we do to find out about and take advantage of the opportunities to help our neighbors in Fort Lee and in this area?