Hopatcong Group Collects 3,000 Pounds of Food

The following is from the Hopatcong Women's Club:

The Hopatcong Woman's Club closed out 2011 with many successes and looks forward to reaching out to, and helping, many more in 2012!

To recount a few notable tallies:

• Over 3,000 pounds of food were collected in 2011 for those in need in our area by the Hopatcong Women’s Club. The food is donated to the Save the People food bank at West Side United Methodist Church for distribution. As special thanks to Carolyn and Tom Lynch for their tireless effort of collecting the non-perishable food from the donation bins at The Hopatcong Post Office, Borough Hall, Skylands Medical Group, and Sovereign Bank (for the past 6 years) and weighing, then delivering the food items on our behalf.
• As part of another ongoing effort, Pat Hoffman of the Hopatcong Women’s Club has been spearheading the effort to collect aluminum can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House charity. They collect pop tabs/soup can tabs instead of entire aluminum cans because it's more hygienic to store tabs than cans, and collection and storage is easier. The program is an easy way for people of all ages to support RMHC and know they are making a difference for families and children. In 2011, our collective contribution was over 6 pounds! If you would like to contribute tabs to the effort, contact any Women’s Club member, who will happily accept them!

The Head Start Program is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families. In December 2011 the HWC members contributed cookies and gifts to 52 families.

Gilda's Club provides an emotional and social support community for people with cancer and their families and friends. Named in honor of Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989, the HWC has supported this cause for years. Recently, over $500 worth of children’s books and art supplies were collected and donated to this worthy organization.

The Hopatcong Women’s Club meets the third Wednesday of each month at the . Our next meeting will be February 15th at 10:30am.

All local women looking to form new friendships and to find a special niche or pet project of interest to them are encouraged to contact Membership Chairperson Selma Reichert at 973-770-4989. To learn more about the NJSFWC (New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs), visit the Federation website at www.njsfwc.org and to learn more about the GFWC (General Federation of Women's Clubs), visit www.gfwc.org