Dermer Dreams Raised 83,227 Pounds of Food

By: LiliAnn Paras | June 10, 2021 |  Local |  Fair Haven

PHOTO CREDIT: Lara Robby

Earlier this spring, the Fair Haven Fire House was once again the scene of a Dermer Dreams wide-reaching community effort to help alleviate hunger.

Dan and Alyse Dermer of Fair Haven, their children, Reyna and Brendan, and hundreds of volunteers collected and organized 30,000 bags of food bound for eight area food banks. The concept was simple: 300 student captains each received 100 bags to return filled with food. The students created ways to complete the task, and each earned ten community service hours. Some students enlisted their sports teams, some used social media to extend their reach, others enlisted friends and family to take several bags each to distribute, and many recipients will find an inspiring note in their bags.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lara Robby
 

This year, Dermer Dreams created a partner program with local charities which streamlined the process. Eight organizations brought their own trucks to the event to be filled with food, unloaded at their respective facilities, and returned to be filled up again. Dermer Dreams has its sights set on expanding to additional counties next time, and noted its mission will not be complete until it “defeats hunger one bag at a time” in all 21 counties of our state.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

• 300 students collected 30,000 bags of food
• 25 student volunteers and 25 adult volun teers manned the collection site
• Partners were Fulfill, Lunch Break, The Center in Asbury Park, Companeros De Comida backpack crew, Habcore, Calico Cat, St. Peter Claver Church, Asbury Park, and KIDS Give.
• Super Smile donated more than 10,000 tubes of toothpaste
• Many students each collected hundreds of pounds of food; one student collected 850+ pounds
• Dermer Dreams raised in excess of 191,500 pounds of food in the last 6 months

Dermer Dreams will be holding its next food drive on October, 23, 2021. To learn more and to sign up, visit DermerDreams.org today!

PHOTO CREDIT: Lara Robby