NJMEP and CIANJ Launch Second Annual Food Drive through “Manufacturing Cares” Program
The New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. (NJMEP) and the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) announced the launch of their second annual food drive. All the collected foods will be donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey as part of a special Manufacturing Cares project. This year, Employment Horizons is also participating in the food drive.
The three organizations are working together to rally manufacturers and the community at large to donate non-perishable food items at the organizations’ workshops, roundtables, and additional events throughout the summer and fall.
The food drive will culminate at the annual “Made in New Jersey” event in celebration of National Manufacturing Day on Friday, October 7th. National Manufacturing Day was established in 2012 to improve the general public’s perception of manufacturing careers and highlight the industry’s value to the economy.
The annual “Made in New Jersey” event is anticipated to draw a large audience of 500-700+ attendees and will be held at The Palace at Somerset, NJ. The event will include a continental breakfast and lunch, networking opportunities, keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and the 2016 New Jersey Manufacturing Awards.
Marked bins will be available at all CIANJ, Employment Horizons and NJMEP events to collect the goods. Donations are also accepted online at a virtual food drive set up by the Community Foodbank at http://support.cfbnj.org/goto/cianj-njmep16. Contributors can make donations on the site and see what kinds of food their donations will buy.
Manufacturing Cares, an ongoing program, is an initiative where New Jersey’s manufacturers give back to the community in various ways such as food drives, volunteerism, donations of resources to noble causes, and more. Last year, more than 2.5 tons of goods were collected during the first annual food drive.
“Through our Manufacturing Cares project, we are extending the reach of manufacturers and giving back to the community. We hope our food drive will make a difference by helping our neediest neighbors while bringing a spotlight on how the manufacturing industry always steps up to support others,” said John W. Kennedy, CEO of NJMEP, a not-for-profit that helps strengthen the profitability and global competitiveness of New Jersey’s manufacturers.
“At its heart, a food drive is very basic – it’s neighbors helping neighbors – but it is critical to those who need it,” said John Galandak, President of the CIANJ, a statewide business advocacy organization representing more than 900 companies from every business sector, including manufacturers.
For more information about NJMEP visit www.njmep.org or call 973-998-9801. For more information about CIANJ, visit www.cianj.og. Information about Employment Horizons, a not-for-profit agency providing high-quality competitively priced services to the business community through its commercial operations while at the same time, furthering its mission to assist people with special needs to achieve their vocational objectives and establish self-sufficiency in the community can be found at www.emhorizons.org.