The Princeton Packet
1 November, 1985
Thanksgiving food drive launched for the area’s need
By Sally Lane
Staff Writer
Plenty of people “brown bag” their lunch, but few bring five red-and-blue full-sized Foodtown shopping bags fitted with groceries to work with them.
Carol Axelrod does. The bags, containing boxes of rice, crackers, corn flakes, pancake mixes, cake mixes and ziti, lined the left wall of her office Wednesday afternoon.
“The (Princeton) Packet wanted to be one of the first to donate,” the circulation-promotion manager for The Princeton Packet said, explaining the groceries were not intended for herself. ‘
Rather, the items were to be donated to the Red Cross that afternoon.
For the first time, the Packet Group and the local first aid squads arc working in conjunction with the Princeton Area Chapter of the Red Cross in sponsoring its annual Thanksgiving food drive. The purpose of the drive is to collect non-perishable and canned goods to be distributed Nov. 25 to the elderly, and needy families.
Participating in the drive are the Cranbury, East Windsor I & 2, Hopewell, Lawrence Township, Pennington, Princeton, Kingston, Montgomery Township, Plainsboro, Rocky Hill, and the Twin W first aid squads.
Two volunteers, Packet employees Cory Ebischbach and Beatrice McDonald, soon arrived at Mrs. Axelrods office to pick up groceries and livery them to the Princeton First Aid Rescue Squad at 237 N. Harrison St.
“I’m doing it to help out people that are less fortunate than I am. It’s not taking a big chunk out of my time to do it, and it will mean a lot to them (the needy),” Ms. Ehischbach said.
Ms. McDonald agreed, saying the food drive would help people put things “into perspective.”
“Here we arc maybe feeling the pinch and realizing I have plenty of food in my house and there are people who don’t.” Ms. McDonald said.
The two then gathered up the groceries and headed to the first aid squad, where a collection barrel for the items
has been outside the squad building since Monday.
“It’s an excellent idea,” squad Capt. Maryanne Henderson said of the food drive. “It certainly is helpful to a lot of needy people who can’t have a Thanksgiving on their own,” she added.
The squad became involved in the drive after they were asked to by the Red Cross, the captain explained.
The Red Cross asked the squads to participate because of their locations within the communities being asked for donations, said Doris Harper, director of social services at the Red Cross.
Furthering community relations between the squad and township residents, and because the squads are “real good people to work with” were other considerations in asking them to participate, Ms. Harper said.
The food donated at the squads will be periodically collected by The Packet and stored in a hospital warehouse on Herrontown Road.
Donations can be made now through Nov. 23.
Two Princeton Packet Inc. employees, Cory Ebischback (second from right) and Beatrice McDonald (right), donate food to the Packet-Red Cross Food Drive Wednesday. Accepting the food at the Princeton First Aid Squad building are Daniel Ronel (left), of Princeton Township, senior squad member; Maryanne Henderson, of West Windsor, squad captain; and Nik Habichi, of Princeton Township, senior volunteer member.
