The 2nd annual "Summit CommUnity Cares" food drive concluded this week, bringing in over 700 pounds of food for food insecure families in Union County. The Summit Police Department partnered with Family Promise - Union County to distribute the donated food to local families in need. The food donations also benefit Junior League of Summit's "No Kid Goes Hungry in 07901" program and the Food Pantry of the First Baptist Church in Elizabeth, where Family Promise has its Family Center. The food drive was organized by the Summit Police Department to help local families struggling to afford food, especially in the summer when school lunches are not provided.

1. Contact Information:
Sandra J. Rodriguez, Director of Community Engagement
71 Summit Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901
908-273-1100 ext. 38
srodriguez@familypromise.org
www.familypromise.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 7/12/16
Summit CommUnity Cares Helps Local Families
Summit, NJ– The 2nd
annual “Summit CommUnity Cares” food drive concluded this week bringing in
more than 700 pounds of food for food insecure families in Union County. Summit Police Chief Robert
Weck, Summit PBA Local #55 and members of the Summit Police Department joined together with the
Summit community to collect a variety of food products including pasta, cereal and canned goods. The
drive began on Monday May 23rd.
The Summit Police Department once again partnered with Family Promise - Union County to help
distribute food to local families in need. Food donations also benefit the Junior League of Summit’s
“No Kid Goes Hungry in 07901”, a program supporting Summit families struggling to provide food for
their children in the summer months as well as the Food Pantry of the First Baptist Church in Elizabeth
where Family Promise – Union County has its Family Center.
Geleen Donovan, Executive Director of the Family Promise – Union County stated “We are so very
grateful to Chief Robert Weck, Nikki Griffith and the entire Summit Police Department and Summit
PBA Local #55 for their generosity and support. It is incredibly moving to know that our community is
so supportive of the many families in Union County that are struggling to make ends meet.”
The program began in 2015 when Nikki Griffith, Administrative Assistant to Chief Weck, met with
Family Promise to identify ways to help families in Union County during the summer months. Griffith,
grew up in modest circumstances herself and knew that summertime, when school lunches are not
available, can be especially tough on families.
She organized the first food drive last year to help local families as part of the police department's highly
successful initiative to increase community engagement. Family Promise was an ideal partner with its
national headquarters located in Summit and having served families in Union County for 30 years. The
initial Drive was a success, with more than 300 pounds of food collected. This year that amount was
doubled. As Family Promise President, Claas Ehlers noted “A core principle of Family Promise is that
with community engagement we can help address many local problems – neighbors helping neighbors.
The incredible generosity of the Summit Community together with the compassion and initiative of
Chief Weck, Nikki Griffith and the entire Summit Police Department, show this possible.”

2. Family Promise is on a mission to help homeless and low-income families nationwide achieve
independence through sustainable housing and using existing community resources and volunteers.
Founded in 1986 in Summit, NJ on the belief that Americans are compassionate people who want to
make a difference, Family Promise today comprises 202 Affiliates across 42 states and engages 150,000
volunteers from coast to coast. The organization has served more than 500,000 people since its
inception. Nearly 80% of the families served secure permanent or transitional housing after leaving
Family Promise. Family Promise’s vision is a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood,
and the chance to build a better tomorrow for themselves and their children.
# # #
Family Promise volunteer, Robin Sims helping to unload food onto the shelves at Family Promise Day
Center in Elizabeth, NJ.

3. Left to Right: Summit Police Chief Robert K. Weck, Bill Eckenrode, Steve Sims, Nikki Griffith,
Sgt. Rick Proctor, Ron Wysocki, Officer MatthewTarentino, Robin Sims and Family Promise – Union
County Executive Director, Geleen Donovan

4. Left to Right: Little Grace Block posing with her mother Amanda Parrish-Block, Community Vice
President of the Junior League of Summit, Liz Dutkewych, JLS President Elect, Nikki Griffith of the
Summit Police Department, Sgt. Rick Proctor, Cara Bradshaw, Director of Development at Family
Promise, Officer Matthew Tarentino, and Chief Robert K. Weck.