Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • October 20, 2010 Wyckoff CUMAC, Passaic County’s central food pantry, will hold its 13th Annual HELP (Hands Extending Love to People) Dinner on Monday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Tides in North Haledon. This year, the dinner will honor Andrea Mateo of Wyckoff and the Table to Table organization. CUMAC will also confer special recognition on one of its own staff members with the Bessie Simes Award that evening. Mateo is the 2010 winner of the Banfield-Coxe Award, named in honor of two Henrys who were founding board members of CUMAC: Henry Banfield and Henry Coxe. Both served their community unselfishly without seeking recognition. Having lived in and around Paterson and Bergen County most of her life, Mateo became aware of life’s discrepancies at an early age. That realization led her to study sociology and child psychology at Saint Joseph’s College in Maine. She was a day care teacher for several years, after which she built up a program for day care home providers. In the 1980s, Mateo took advantage of an opportunity to work with her father in property management. “Upon becoming a mother I instantly learned how horrible it must be to not be able to feed your children,” Mateo said. “Working with my husband and with blessings galore I am in position to help others. Helping CUMAC has been and easy and rewarding way to use my good fortune!” Mateo has been organizing food collections for CUMAC in grocery stores all over Bergen and Passaic counties. To date, she has raised hundreds of pounds of food and donations. She has responded to countless other needs, has driven food to CUMAC when trucks were overbooked, and has set up a permanent collection bin at her local grocery store. Township woman to be honored at CUMAC celebration Andrea Mateo Table to Table will receive the President’s Award, which was established in honor of former Board President Ethel Smith. Table to Table is a community-based food rescue program that collects prepared and perishable food that would otherwise be wasted and delivers it to organizations that serve the hungry in Bergen, Hudson, Essex, and Passaic counties. This fresh food is delivered free of charge to more than 50 agencies throughout the area, including elder care facilities, drug rehab centers, homeless shelters, homes for victims of domestic violence, HIV day centers, and pantries that serve the “working poor.” Table to Table is the first and only food rescue program in Northeast New Jersey solely dedicated to redistributing prepared and perishable foods. In 2009, Table to Table delivered enough food for more than 6,000,000 meals. With four refrigerated vehicles and dedicated drivers, Table to Table picks up food that cannot be sold, but is still of good quality, from a wide range of food establishments each day. This food is delivered the day it is donated, so there is no need for warehouse facilities and the organization’s costs are limited to the operation of its vehicles. Table to Table’s Executive Director Ilene Isaacs will accept the award on behalf of her organization. CUMAC has been serving the Passaic County community for more than 30 years. It began in the late 1970s when then Paterson school teacher Hugh Dunlop reached out to a local Methodist Church to help him collect food for his students in need. As they met that need, a greater need in the City of Paterson became obvious, and a small pantry was born to provide emergency food to the local community. In 1985, CUMAC was incorporated as the Center of United Methodist Aid to the Community Ecumenically Concerned Helping Others (CUMAC/ECHO) – a name meant to show that, while this is an urban mission of the United Methodist Church, the organization serves all people in need without discrimination. As the largest food distribution program in Passaic County, CUMAC regularly feeds about 2,600 low-income people a month, including children, disabled individuals, and senior citizens. Tickets for the event are $60, and may be purchased online at www.cumacecho.org. Donors can also become sponsors or purchase journal ads. For more information, e-mail Bonnie Sirower at bonnie@cumacecho.org. FLOW Area Rachel’s Challenge coming to Indian Hills Rachel Joy Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine High School tragedy on April 20, 1999. Immediately after the tragedy, her father, Darrell, began to speak around the nation and used writing and drawings from Rachel’s many diaries to illustrate the need for a kinder, more compassionate nation. Today, Darrell and 30 other speakers honor Rachel’s life by reaching the nation with Rachel’s simple, but profound, message. Rachel’s Challenge is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring a permanent, positive culture change to schools, businesses, and communities by starting a chain reaction of compassion and kindness. Students at Indian Hills and Ramapo high schools will experience the Rachel’s Challenge assemblies and training sessions on Oct. 28 and 29. An evening community event will be held Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Indian Hills High School auditorium for parents, teachers and community leaders. (Please note: This program is not recommended for young children.) Indian Hills High is located at 97 Yawpo Avenue, Oakland. “I think this is an awesome opportunity for our students and the community,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. C. Lauren Schoen. Indian Hills High School Principal Al Evangelista said, “This assembly will hopefully impress upon young people as well as parents that they are, and can be, instrumental in changing the atmosphere and climate of not only our schools, but of society in general. Failure to bring about change will only perpetuate uncivil actions towards one another.” Dr. Louis B. Moore, principal of Ramapo High School, added, “All of us at Ramapo Indian Hills strive to ensure that our schools are caring and welcoming places for everyone. I believe that bringing Rachel’s Challenge to the high schools will deepen our commitment to the core values of compassion, respect, and tolerance.” Break the Highway Trend! ...not your community’s back. Local businesses are the backbone of your community and the trend to shop the big guys on the highway hur ts us all.Your local businesses have what you want... at the right price... and close to home. So, why hassle with the highways? Save Time! Save Gas! Save Money! SAVE YOUR COMMUNITY! We Need You SHOP LOCALLY. IT’S SMART. ...and besides, it’s so convenient!