32 / matters magazine / hearth & home 2019 Y ou may have noticed earlier this year a crop of bright green signs that sprouted on the edge of gar- dens in the Maplewood-South Orange area. They were publiciz- ing the “Green Bean Gala.” The event, a fundraiser for MEND, has just happened but the mission those signs high- lighted – supporting hunger relief – is very much an ongoing concern. MEND – Meeting Emergency Needs with Dig- nity – has been tackling that challenge since 1980. That’s when a team of people from various houses of worship across Essex County got together with the goal of combatting hunger more effectively and in a way that respected the vulnerability of those in need. Originally, as the name suggests, they focused on crises. But its executive director Robin Peacock explains that very soon they realized that the issue went beyond emergencies. “The struggles people face are not short-term; they’re ongoing,” she says. Working from office space provided by the Arch- diocese of Newark and under the auspices of its social services arm, Catholic Charities, MEND teamed up with government agencies and other organizations to ensure the supply of packaged, nutritious food to food pantries throughout the area. In recent years it has striven to provide more fresh items – fruits and vegetables as well as meat and dairy products. It also provides non-food items like diapers and women’s hygiene products. Andy Ball and Kathleen DiChiaro were the first coordinators. When DiChiaro left to establish the Community Foodbank of New Jersey, Sharon Reil- ly-Tobin took over and remained in the role for 33 years. Raising Awareness of Hunger MEND’s distribution process and its public profile has been hugely boosted by the adapted school bus dubbed the Green Bean, donated by benefactor Ed Danberry. A big green bus brings home the message of need. BY ELAINE DURBACH