Devils and Goya Help Collect Over 70,000 Pounds of Food for Various New Jersey Charities

In this season of giving, organizations large and small give to many different charities. The Devils, in collaboration with Goya – “the largest Hispanic food company owned in the United States” according to the team’s press release on their website, helped gather over 70,000 pounds of food. Some of the food was collected during the Devils’ annual food drive held during a run of home games during November.

The food, which amounted to over 2,000 meals according to the press release, will benefit a local organization called Transfernation which will help “community organizations around Newark and northern New Jersey.”

The food drive was held in partnership with Goya, who “agreed to match up to 40,000 pounds of food collected by the Devils’ drives” – the Devils also had a food drive held by their employees and employees of Prudential Center – “which has been donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.”

Transfernation is “a food rescue service that collects cooked and unserved food, that is then distributed to organizations that serve homeless, low-income individuals and others in need, making Prudential Center the first arena to partner with the organization.” The press release says that the Devils and Prudential Center have donated over 1,881 pounds of food to this cause.

The release mentions that this year’s numbers exceeded the numbers from last season and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, it said is “the largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization in New Jersey that began more than 40 years ago in downtown Newark.” Devils employees, the Devils players, Goya employees, Prudential Center employees and Devils Alumni will later volunteer time “to sort and pack a portion of the 40,000-pound donation at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. The bagged meals will then be distributed to Newark families in need.”

The 1,881 pounds of food will equal about 1,568 meals. That food comes from unused food at Devils home games throughout October and November. That food will be donated in partnership with Transfernation. According to the release “Transfernation’s idea began in a New York University dorm room between two college juniors, Hannah Dehradunwala and Samir Goel, who were stunned by the amount of excess food being discarded after campus events.” The movement begun at NYU “has expanded to 20 contractors and 16 community organizations throughout the tri-state area.”

Transfernation started to collect “cooked and unserved food from all New Jersey Devils home games on Oct. 11. Legends, Prudential Center’s official hospitality partner, prepares and executes the donation to Transfernation which then gets distributed among the various beneficiaries.”

The beneficiaries for 2018-19 “include Integrity House, Catholic Charities of the Archdioceses of Newark, St. John’s Soup Kitchen and Goodwill Rescue Mission/The Bowery Mission.”

The press release then mentioned that Transfernation has “enhanced New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center’s relationships with the selected beneficiaries” because they give more options for the company to work with for their Give 82 initiative.

The release says that on the first Friday of each month, the Devils players and Prudential Center employees help give back by serving lunch at St. John’s Soup Kitchen and prepare/serve meals each month at Goodwill Rescue Mission/The Bowery Mission and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

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