Unveiling Our New Look

Lunch Break, the resource and social services agency at 121 Drs James Parker Blvd., Red Bank, is proud to announce its fresh new look and brand, Hands of Hope, which debuted at the annual Fall Gala on Oct. 15th, 2021 at the Count Basie Center for Arts and Education.
The new logo represents a forward-thinking initiative in Lunch Break’s 38-year history, emphasizing a unified, caring community's commitment to the well-being of its neighbors, as well as highlighting the myriad services available to those in need.

The rebrand was the result of an eight-month discovery process and brand refresh, led by Red Bank-based Spitball Marketing. Through feasibility studies and focus groups, which included clients, community members, Board and staff members and volunteers, Lunch Break arrived at the new design, which through its interconnective images, illustrates the embodiment of the resource center's timeless tagline: Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow.

Central to the theme are the Hands of Hope, symbolic of Lunch Break’s mission to nurture and console those struggling with food and financial insecurity -- to lift them out of desperation, with the ultimate goal of helping to break the cycle of poverty. These individuals and families arrive at Lunch Break’s doors, often broken from the mental and physical ramifications of hunger, seeking fellowship and basic necessities, as well as a path toward self-sufficiency. The resource center in turn offers its outstretched “hands” to empower, restore dignity and self-worth to all who enter. The hands also represent the community and its vital role in supporting our neighbors in need on their journey to self-reliance.

The logo also illustrates that not only does Lunch Break extend a hand to help alleviate financial and food insecurity, it offers hope through mentoring programs such as Life Skills employment coaching and skills training, Alliance For Success college prep guidance and vocational training for at-risk juniors and seniors, and outreach for women and senior citizens.

“We are thrilled to reveal our new “Hands of Hope,” says Executive Director Gwendolyn Love. “This new design represents the outgrowth of our food pantry to include so much more of the services we offer -- all because of our dedicated community members and volunteers. They are the ‘hands’ of Lunch Break.”

In tandem with the logo refresh, Lunch Break celebrates the launch of a $12 million Capital Campaign to expand its current facilities, which will provide more space for future growth, new programs, services and initiatives. The new logo incorporates the central themes of expansion and outreach in its design.

Lunch Break, its origins dating to 1983 as a humble food pantry organized by Norma Todd and local leaders to alleviate hunger, has since flourished into a resource hub and Life Skills Center to help those living in Monmouth County and beyond. Governed by a leadership team, including the Board of Trustees and Executive Director Gwendolyn Love, the organization relies on its network of more than 2,000 volunteers, as well as community, corporate and business partnerships.

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in our Community
In New Jersey alone, 865,900 people, including 260,340 children, are food insecure, according to a 2021 Feeding America and Hunger Free New Jersey report. That means 1 in 10 individuals (9.6 percent) and 1 in 8 children (13.2 percent) live in homes without consistent access to adequate food.

Across Monmouth County, the rate of hunger among seniors has more than doubled since 2001, according to the National Council on Aging, a rate that is expected to increase as Baby Boomers age. About 10 percent of New Jersey’s older residents, some 190,000 seniors, were at risk of hunger in 2017 and these numbers are rising quickly.

In 2020, Lunch Break saw an unprecedented demand for groceries — 111 percent more food pickups over 2019. Same holds true for grab-and-go meals — Continental breakfast and lunch served six days a week and Community Dinner on Friday — with a 22 percent rise over 2019.

In response to community demand, the organization launched a $12 million Capital Campaign in 2021 to expand the current facility to accommodate an increase in need for services. The proposed building plans, which recently were unanimously approved by the Red Bank Zoning Board, incorporate additional space for on-site services, including the Life Skills Center, located in Shrewsbury, warehouse storage, administration, and donation accessibility. The members of Lunch Break’s Board of Trustees, its staff and volunteers, believe the expansion of facilities and services is more crucial now than ever.

Help for Today ... Hope for Tomorrow
Mission
As a caring community, Lunch Break freely provides food, clothing, life skills and fellowship to those in need in Monmouth County and beyond.
Vision
We strive to break the cycle of poverty for those we serve and guide our community members in need to self-sufficiency
and healthier, more productive lifestyles.
Values
We serve everyone with compassion and dignity.

Lunch Break is a registered 501© 3 nonprofit. The resource center freely provides food, clothing, social services, fellowship and life skills to those struggling with financial insecurity as a path to well-being and self-sufficiency.
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