RANDOLPH – The Randolph Township administration has effectively ended a successful and urgently needed food drive for the township-operated Food Pantry because it was organized, in part, by Democratic candidates for Township Council.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Randolph residents have stepped up to volunteer for our community.  After seeing an online post from the Randolph Food Pantry asking for donations, Dave Timpanaro, Josh Weiner, and Jeanette Hernandez leapt into action.  Reaching out to their community network, they mobilized 4 collection sites in different corners of town, and coordinated directly with the Food Pantry to arrange safe delivery of both food and gift cards. As this effort was non-partisan, they made sure to contact both the Mayor’s Office and the Township Manager for help promoting the food drive. Simply put, this initiative began as a way to serve the residents of Randolph by helping the administration feed families in need.

In the 3 weeks since the food drive began, Dave, Josh, Jeanette, and community partners have collected more than 800 lbs of non-perishable items, and nearly $1,600 in gift cards, all to help Randolph families.

However, on Monday, May 4th, a food drive volunteer received an email from the Community Services Director, effectively ending the collection. “We are actually at the point where the food pantry is well stocked for the foreseeable future.” That same volunteer also received an email from the Township Manager stating that the administration would not be doing “anything further” to promote the collection. Regrettably, the township had done nothing at this point to promote the food drive.

The next day, Tuesday, May 5th, a different community volunteer reached out to the Community Services Director, asking if the Food Pantry was taking large donations. The Director responded promptly via email, “We are currently accepting donations. Donations may be left in the unlocked entryway to the Community Center.”

These conflicting messages beg the question: is the Randolph Food Pantry so full that the administration feels confident it can sustain every resident in need for the next several months, or is the administration picking and choosing who can donate food based on political affiliation?

So many members of the Randolph community have donated, and were completely taken aback that the Township would no longer be accepting food during a time of both health and economic crisis. Long time Randolph resident and volunteer Sandy Fey states, “This is not a time for partisan politics. This is a time for neighbors helping neighbors. The time has come for the people of Randolph to stand together and say that this behavior is wrong.”

Dave, Josh, and Jeanette also issued a joint statement: “We will continue our food drive to meet the community’s needs during this pandemic. Please continue using the 4 drop off sites and know that we are working together to help those in need.”