Football players and cheerleaders collect food for MCFOODS.
East Brunswick High School football players and cheerleaders, first row, Demi Massih, football coach Bob Molarz, Tim Gudzak and Aliza Vacca, and members of the MCFOODS team, back row, Tom Ellison and Jacob Gudzak, move some of the food the students collected for the food bank.EAST BRUNSWICK -- The East Brunswick High School football players and cheerleaders recently teamed up off the field in an effort to help the Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services, which supplies food to county food pantries and soup kitchens.
For the past three years, the school's football team has helped with the MCFOODS summertime food drive; however, this year's team has fewer players, which meant less hands to help with the food drive. That is, until the cheerleading squad stepped in to help.
"With fewer players, it was a challenge; but we all tried our best," said East Brunswick High School head football coach Bob Molarz. "We started this under Sean O'Sullivan (a 2015 graduate). He made us aware of the necessity to stock these shelves in the summertime." The athletes, led by sophomore football player Tim Gudzak, fanned out through the township, collecting nearly 2,600 pounds of supplies and nonperishable food items.
According to Jennifer Apostol, project manager with the Middlesex County Improvement Authority, which oversees the MCFOODS operation, the organization always experiences a summertime lull in donations and looks forward to the football team's help.
Late last month, representatives MCFOODS picked up bins full of the donated goods from the school. "Just the day prior we had sorted through the last of our surplus food," said Apostol. For more information on MCFOODS, visit mciauth.com or call 609-655-5141.
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