You Can Help Needy Local Families

It's that time of year again for the soon-to-arrive holidays - Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and the New Year are all on the horizon.

It's also the time of year when the need increases for needy families in Clinton for food.

You can help by taking part in the Clinton Police Benevolent Association's second annual food drive.

Please donate non-perishable food items (think the holidays!) and canned goods directly to the police department. In their lobby there is a large box for all donations.

"I started this drive last year knowing how hard it may be for families at this time of year," said Officer Glenn Smith of the CPD.

, has seen suffering and need both overseas and at home.

"I thought if we received a few donations it would certainly help the food pantry," said Smith. "But I was shocked at how much people gave. It was great and very generous on their part."

Last year, more than 1,800 pounds of food were donated during the drive and given to the Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries facility in Clinton. It is located behind the on East Main Street. They serve a free hot meal every Wednesday evening at the on Commerce Street and hold a grocery distribution also on Wednesdays at the pantry.

In addition, Smith said that was able to provide 60 turkeys for the drive. The turkeys were made possible by the shoppers of ShopRite who donated their "free" turkey back to the store. ShopRite stored the turkeys until they were distributed by the police department to the pantry.

For more information on how you can receive a turkey by shopping at the ShopRite store, click here.