The recent demographic study conducted on behalf of the WW-P School District showed that the median income in Plainsboro is $112,004, and 72.4 percent of residents have at least a bachelor’s degree. Despite these numbers, 2.1 percent of Plainsboro children live below the poverty level, and many other residents live in reduced circumstances as well.
This fact becomes readily apparent on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, when the Plainsboro Food Pantry donates bags of non-perishable groceries to needy Plainsboro families. Says Maria (Ria) Benerofe, a Plainsboro resident who runs the food pantry: “At present we serve 37 families. They include senior citizens on fixed incomes; individuals who are disabled and cannot work; and single parents with children. This is the highest number since I started working at the pantry almost two years ago.”
“Some people only remain on the list for a year, because they are able to get back on their feet and get their lives together. That is heartwarming to see. Others have been coming to the food pantry for years because they are unable to work,” she says.
Benerofe explains that “to be eligible to receive food, people must be residents of Plainsboro and must be low income. They fill out a yearly application and must provide proof of residence and income. This provides some sort of accountability and helps keep us organized, so we can anticipate need. On the applications, families indicate whether they need baby items, have food allergies, and what food they need on a regular basis. The food we provide is a supplement — this food does not sustain them, it just helps out.”
Although the food pantry operates under the aegis of Plainsboro Township, and is housed in the municipal building, it is funded solely by a grant — all salaries, including Benerofe’s, and other expenses are paid through the grant, not Township money. “We do have a trust account as well, which comes from people and corporations that make cash donations. We use that money to supplement the food bank when needed items run out,” she says.
Benerofe became involved with the food pantry through her son, Scott, who is currently a junior at High School South. “Scott wanted to volunteer at the food pantry when he was 15 years old, and at that time youth under the age of 16 needed to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. (Now 15-year-olds can volunteer on their own).
“So I would go with him and help out too. I learned about the entire process: how to organize and stock the food; how to date the food and make sure none was expired; how to bag the food for the participants. Both of us really enjoyed it. So when the person who was formerly running the food pantry moved over to the tax division, I applied.” She has been working there for almost two years.
“I work during the school day, and some evenings and weekends. My son Scott still volunteers here, and my older son Andrew used to help me at home with pantry work. He is now in college at Syracuse, so right now he is unable to help out. My daughter Kara, a freshman at South, volunteers at the pantry through her Girl Scout troop. She really enjoys helping out there.”
“We have several volunteers. Adults usually come during the day, and students come in the afternoons. We welcome scout groups; students who need to earn community service hours; anyone willing to give us a hand. I have been actively recruiting volunteers because we always need help.”
Benerofe is no stranger to volunteer work. She has been a troop leader for her daughter’s Girl Scout troop for many years, and took the girls to volunteer at the food pantry several times. She has been involved in many PTA positions, and has also volunteered to help out many of the clubs and sports teams her children have been involved with. She is a literacy volunteer, teaching adults to read, and is involved in her neighborhood sunshine committee, which prepares meals and helps out with neighbors who are ill or are going through difficult times.
“My parents inspired me to become involved,” she says. “My father was a New York City police detective in the Bronx, and my mother, who was generally a stay-at-home mom, would volunteer to cut people’s hair, and also watched people’s children for free. When my father retired, he opened a security business, and then we all helped out with the family business.”
Benerofe, who grew up in Pearl River NY, earned a bachelors from SUNY Binghamton in math and economics, and became an economist. She worked as an economist for a number of companies, including the Research Triangle Institute in Raleigh-Durham, NC. “But I really always wanted to be a teacher. We moved to Plainsboro 16 years ago, to be closer to my husband Dave’s job. He currently works at Ambac in New York City. So I decided to teach at Kid’s Corner Co-operative day care, and worked there for eight years. I am still teaching — as a substitute teacher in the WW-P district,” she said.
One of Benerofe’s tasks at the pantry is publicity. “I have worked really hard to raise awareness, both for people who use our services, and for those who donate.”
“It is very important. We always need more volunteers, and we always need food, especially this time of year into the summer. People are very generous during the holiday season, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, and we get a lot of food then.”
Spring is not a popular season for food drives. “There are so many fundraisers this time of year, and people get very busy, and so the donations suffer,” says Benerofe. “We participate in the 10 month/10 school program, and each of the schools in our district picks a month to donate food. This is where we get most of our food. As the spring and summer months come closer, of course we get less donations from the schools. Scouts, individuals, and corporations also donate food, as do area churches. For example, the Plainsboro Presbyterian Church collects food for us, and we have an arrangement with the Princeton Alliance Church whereby we give our overflow food to them when they need it, and they give their overflow to us.”
“We have two special events every year — Thanksgiving baskets and holiday gift trees in December. Gift tags are hung on the trees and people can take a tag and purchase the gift request listed on the tag. The Queenship of Mary Catholic Church fulfills nearly all, if not all, of the requests for both of these events,” Benerofe says.
“We also get a large anonymous donation from time to time. I have tried to find out who the benefactor is so that we can thank the person or group who leaves the bags of food for us, but so far I haven’t been able to figure out who it is!”
“My goal right now is to line up volunteers and donations for the summer, because we have a real need this year. Because of Hurricane Sandy, everyone was extremely generous in the fall, but no we have run short of many food items and necessities. We need more volunteers, and we need more food.”
Says Benerofe: “The best way to help is to donate the most needed food items, which are listed on the township website. Food can be dropped off at the municipal center or the recreation center. If you cannot deliver the food to us, you can also call 609-799-0909, ext. 1712 or 1719 and we will arrange to pick up the food. We can always use monetary donations. Checks should be made out to the Township of Plainsboro Food Pantry. Finally, we always take volunteers. Groups can pick a particular day to help out as part of a project or requirements, or individuals can come and help. I am making a huge effort to find volunteers, so please come and help us out!”
