Leadership Morris, a community education program of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, will host its Annual “Picnic With a Purpose” on Thursday, July 18, 2013, at Central Park of Morris County, located on Central Avenue in Morris Plains at 4:30 pm.
All Leadership Morris current members and alumni are invited to attend the event, which offers the association the opportunity to network in a casual setting. This year’s picnic will feature a “Grillin & Swillin” demonstration with celebrity chef Eric LeVine of Morris Tap & Grill and the group’s signature purpose, its annual food collection for the Interfaith Food Pantry.
Picnic attendees are being asked to bring non-perishable food to the picnic, to make a financial contribution for the purchase of food through the Food Pantry’s website, or to contribute food through Leadership Morris’ online food drive page hosted by YouGiveGoods.com.
In addition, Morris Tap & Grill, located on Route 10 in Randolph, will make a financial contribution to the Interfaith Food Pantry for patrons who bring in the Leadership Morris promotional flyer, which can be found on the Interfaith Food Pantry site at www.mcifp.org.
Joseph Nazzaro, Executive Director of Leadership Morris, said, “We’ve been able to put together a terrific set of partners to help make this event a success. We’ve been working closely with the Interfaith Food Pantry, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, YouGiveGoods, and Morris Tap & Grill to make this year’s event even more successful than last year’s, where we collected and donated more than a ton of food to the Pantry.”
Five-star chef Eric Levine will demonstrate his tips, tricks and secrets to making a backyard barbeque sizzle.
“When I saw the number of families visiting the Food Pantry, I knew that this was a cause I could support. I truly believe in paying it forward, and this a great opportunity for me to get involved,” he said.
According to Carolyn Lake, director of community relations & development for the Interfaith Food Pantry, the number of families seeking assistance is rising dramatically.
“In the first four months of 2013, we already have provided help to over 1,400 households and distributed nearly 280,000 pounds of food, which is an increase of about 28 percent over the same period last year.
“Unfortunately,” she added, “there are still people losing jobs and having hours reduced every day and it is clear that the need will continue to expand, but thankfully we are very fortunate to have partnerships with groups like Leadership Morris, who truly make a difference in the lives of others and our community.”
Founded in 1991, Leadership Morris teaches business professionals and not-for-profit executives about the opportunities, challenges, institutions and the people of Morris County.
Approximately 30 individuals with business, non-profit and public leadership positions assemble monthly to experience the various venues first hand and directly interact with the key individuals involved. A professional network of more than 500 Alumni brings diverse experiences and backgrounds and plays an active role shaping the future of Morris County.
The Interfaith Food Pantry is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that provides food, educational resources and referrals to Morris County residents in need. In 2012, the Pantry served over 4,700 households and distributed over 741,000 pounds of food.
To learn more about the drive, you can find resources on the Morris County Chamber of Commerce website at www.morrischamber.org or the Interfaith Food Pantry’s site, where financial contributions also are accepted. To purchase food online, visit the drive page at www.yougivegoods.com/2013PicnicWithAPurpose.
