Foodstock Volunteers Collect Food by the Ton

The entrance fee for a hopping Randolph Road party was an armful of food. Foodstock 2011 collected over 13,000 pounds of food on Saturday, Oct. 15, according to Henry Lubas, a member of the group of Freehold Township residents who organized the event. The food was donated to Lunch Break in Red Bank.

"It started last year as a community service project for Maura Swisher, then a senior at St. John Vianney HS. Her goal was to raise 2,000 pounds, so she called it A Ton of Fun. She wound up collecting 6,000 pounds!" Lubas wrote in an email to Freehold Patch.

Swishers parents, Bob and Michelle Swisher, of Randolph Road in Freehold Township, decided to make the fundraiser an annual event, according to Lubas. The Swishers formed a committee and renamed the effort Foodstock. The event was held at their home and drew over 200 people, Lubas said.

For every 25 pounds donated, participants received an entry into a raffle for Giants game tickets. The volunteers also sold t-shirts and raffled off an autographed shirt from Jon Bon Jovi, Lubas said. The fundraiser also featured live entertainment by six area bands.

“The result was a festive atmosphere on a beautiful day where over 13,000 pounds were collected, along with monetary donations (still being counted),” Lubas wrote.