Rent Party presents live music events to help fight hunger in our community.
About Us
Since 2009, Rent Party has presented live music events to help fight hunger in our community. The shows feature original music by many of the best bands in the NJ/NY area. And a handful of times a year we present nationally known acts.
And, before you ask, "What's a Rent Party?", "A rent party is a social occasion where tenants hire a musician or band to play and pass the hat to raise money to pay their rent, originating in Harlem during the 1920s." We love the imagery that this evokes: Music & Community.
In addition to our own programs, Rent Party supports three local food pantries and has donated almost $100,000 to these pantries in the last five years.
Rent Party Pantry, Inc. is a 501(c)(3).
BackPack Pals
BackPack Pals provides a weekend's worth of nutritious food to about 100 food-insecure kids in our community each week during the school year. Our volunteers deliver food each Friday to participating schools in our community. Each pack is supplemented with fresh fruit generously provided by The Fruit Guys.
Our program bridges the gap between in-school lunch on Friday and in-school breakfast on Monday morning. This program is in its ninth year and we have distributed almost 20,000 packs of food.
$200 will ensure that a food-insecure child in our community will leave school on Friday with a weekend's worth of nutritious food. Please consider making a donation today.
Rent Party Garden
The Rent Party Garden flourishes in the full sun of the front lawn of the South Orange Elks Lodge on Prospect Street and is a wonderfully unique partnership with the Elks. The 27 raised bed garden has fed the community since 2012. Each season, the garden grows more than 2,000 pounds of fresh produce that is donated to local food pantries and other community initiatives, including Seth Boyden Shares.
Kids First
Our newest initiative is a partnership with SOMA School Supplies to ensure that 200 kids each year will receive a backpack full of brand-new school supplies. The goal is make sure that these kids are "Ready to Learn".
The primary goal has been to ensure that every child has the supplies required to build confidence for a successful school year. The founder, Sharon Duberman Geraghty, worked tirelessly for the children in our district in many ways, including this annual drive. When Sharon passed away in 2017, the School Supplies team was determined to carry forth Sharon’s vision.
We are all delighted about this partnership.