Three Ridge High students collected 3,200 pounds of food in Basking Ridge's first Foodstock

Ridge High School students Elise Asay, Cole Marshall, and Nicole Zenchak brought Foodstock to Basking Ridge for the first time. Patch reported on October 6, 2026, that volunteers handed out bags door to door through August and asked neighbors to fill them with unopened, nonperishable food. All 3,200 pounds went to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County.

The drive ended on September 1 with a backyard music festival the three students hosted, a friends' tradition that this year also marked the delivery. They hope the neighborhood collection and the festival become a yearly town event. Patch said nearly 30,000 Somerset County residents face food insecurity, and that the closing of the Lyons Mall Stop & Shop has added pressure for nearby veterans and older residents. The wider Foodstock effort has collected more than 1.5 million pounds of food across New Jersey.