On November 10th, 2017, I visited Fulfill, the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean County located at 3300 NJ-66, Neptune City, NJ 07753 . According to their website, Fulfill’s mission is to “alleviate hunger and build food security in Monmouth & Ocean Counties and to make sure that all people at all times have access to enough nutritious food to maintain an active and healthy life.”
I reached out to their head gardener, Jess Sinkhorn, for a tour. First, he showed me Fulfill’s two gardens. Both are used to grow fresh produce, but one is particularly for educational purposes. It was pretty chilly outside, so next Jess showed me Fulfill’s first heated greenhouse. The greenhouse was full of tools, and although nothing was growing in the plots at the time, above us were mint and other plants which Jess is growing for tea. He is also in the process of building a second greenhouse right next to the first.
Next, we went back outside to check out the three beehives that they have onsite, further back behind the greenhouses. Surrounding the beehives were bales of straw which were donated by the Monmouth University Community Garden. Because of the cold weather, the bees were inside of their hives and I was able to get very close while Jess explained the equipment needed for having hives and the bees’ different behaviors, depending on the season. On site is also a “fake hive”, which Jess also uses to educate various community groups that visit Fulfill.
Afterwards, Jess gave me a brief tour inside the main facility. He showed me their huge storage rooms, which were stacked high with boxes of donated goods and goods that, after being sorted by volunteers, can be donated to food pantries. Although Fulfill doesn’t necessarily cater to food needy individuals and families directly, they do have ready made “banana box packages” that contain different non-perishable items, available for emergencies. Jess and I were greeted by many hellos as he introduced me to the staff. Overall, Fulfill is a wonderful and welcoming environment.
Jess is always welcoming volunteers for the garden and greenhouse on Mondays and Wednesdays. He can be reached at jsinkhorn@fulfillnj.org
Don’t forget to check out Fulfill’s website!!