34 / matters magazine / fall 2017 Stacked diapers in Sinclair's living room illustrate the generosity of residents. clair diving in to help others and com- ing up with huge success. The diaper initiative dovetails with the Facebook group page FeedSOMany, another “let’s-do-this” effort started by Sin- clair. After seeing a post on SOMA Lounge just over two years ago about empty shelves at the St. Joseph’s food pantry, Sinclair built the page as a way to raise awareness about food pantries in the community. With nearly 1,000 members, it has become a rich resource for information on all things food-pantry related, including tips on how to donate and even when to shop the Can Can sale at ShopRite on behalf of the pantries. Spotting a need in the community and getting the word out about how to help has become a specialty for Sin- clair, whose roots here run deep. Not only did she grow up in Maplewood/ South Orange, but so did her husband and parents, and now kids. As a kin- dergarten teacher at Tuscan, she orga- nizes an annual pajama drive around the holidays, as well as a 100-Day Food Drive that encourages each class to do- nate 100 cans of food. “I feel like I can make a difference by encouraging oth- ers to get involved as well,” she says. “By putting it out there and getting others excited about it, it snowballs into something big!” Less than a year after starting Feed- SOMany, Sinclair began using the Facebook group to organize monthly neighborhood food drives. The idea is to make it easy for people to donate by designating a nearby point person to receive all the food and transport it to the pantry. The drop-off designees get the word out about the drives, which generally revolve around a theme, such as back-to-school, lunch or dinner. The site now lists 42 drop-off points, up from 25 originally. Sinclair had been huddling with Kate Cahill, co-head of the food pantry at Our Lady of Sorrows and a board member of MEND, a nonprofit supporting 16 local pan- tries, on ways to sustain interest in the monthly drives when she heard about the diaper shortages. Using her connections on social media to share stories of moms re-using diapers and even resorting to plastic bags, Sinclair galvanized waves of sympathy and sup- port through her large network. Some donors even ordered diapers through Amazon and had them shipped directly to the pantry. Sinclair is now contemplating quar- terly diaper drives, as well as ongoing neighborhood food drives, perhaps with more novel themes, such as red food in February in celebration of Val- entine’s Day. If her track record is any indication, her efforts to make a differ- ence will no doubt ripple far and wide. As Sinclair succinctly puts it, “I love being able to help people.” Chris Costanzo is pleased that her kids have had the opportunity to participate in Mrs. Sinclair's 100-Day Food Drive at Tuscan School. n MONTCLAIR ART MUSEUM PRESENTS: CHARLES E. BURCHFIELD WEATHER EVENT Through January 7, 2018 Philemona Williamson, Limbs, 2016. Oil on linen. Collection of Philemona Williamson. Courtesy of the artist. All MAM programs are made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, Carol and Terry Wall/The Vance Wall Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and Museum members. 3 South Mountain Avenue Montclair, NJ | montclairartmuseum.org PHILEMONA WILLIAMSON METAPHORICAL NARRATIVES Through January 7, 2018 @MAMmontclair Charles E. Burchfield, November Storm, 1950. Watercolor on paper. Burchfield Penney Art Center; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Sherlock A. Herrick, Jr., 2001. Reproduced with permission from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Charles E. Burchfield: Weather Event was organized by The Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY. Members see all exhibitions for FREE