Just like the thunderstorms that came and went Thursday, Aug. 6, the economic storm that hit the casino industry is still raining food insecurity on thousands of hard-working union members and the Atlantic City community. Fortunately, union solidarity and generosity provided a shelter from the economic storm despite the actual storms.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”25″ display=”basic_imagebrowser”]The New Jersey State AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey distributed more than 2,000 food kits to laid-off union members and the resort city’s community at Bader Field.“We’re very grateful to our affiliates for their continuing generosity,” said Charles Wowkanech, President of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO. “Their financial support helps provide the food, and our brothers and sisters in these unions provide the manpower that makes Operation Feed Atlantic City go so smoothly.”
Volunteers from IATSE, IUOE and UNITE-HERE checked in the visitors, directed traffic smoothly, and then loaded boxes of groceries and bags of produce into waiting car trunks. Many of the volunteers themselves have been hit by layoffs despite their hard work and standards of excellence. In solidarity with their union families and neighbors, they donated their day.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO intends to continue these union-led food distributions as long as the need remains. We want our brothers and sisters to know we are there for them, so in the spirit of solidarity, please be generous.
Please make checks payable to our 501(c)(3) account.
New Jersey State AFL-CIO Community Services Agency Inc.
106 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608