The Union Elks lodge will hold its annual Super Bowl Sunday Blood Drive today from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

All donors will receive a homemade roast beef dinner, compliments of the Elks volunteers.

"The Blood Center of New Jersey has come to rely on the Union Elks to have successful blood drives because they have a history of doing well," said Judy Daniels, spokesperson for the Blood Center of New Jersey. "Hundreds of patients in area hospitals will need blood this season victims of car accidents and other violent trauma; cancer patients, premature babies, and more.

The Union Elks Lodge is located at 281 Chestnut St. Donors must be at least 17. Previous donors with the Blood Center no longer need to give their Social Security number. People with cold or flu symptoms should wait until they are feeling better before donating. For those who have traveled outside of the United States recently, call the blood center for eligibility criteria. For more information, call the blood center at 1-800 652-5663, ext. 140.
Parents Empowering Parents Citywide will hold a general meeting tomorrow from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Hubbard Middle School, 661 W. Eighth St.

PEP Citywide, which works with the Plainfield Board of Education, connects families to resources and services that promote youth development. For more information, call the Plainfield board of ed office of community relations at (908) 731-4333.

A local restaurant will re-create an Indian tradition on Tuesday using Summit public school students in hopes of developing team-building skills as well as introducing young people to an age-old culture.

Dabbawalla restaurant, located at 427 Springfield Ave., has invited Summit students who participate in the school district's SMART mentoring program to be dabbawallas for a day on Tuesday beginning at 3 p.m.

In Hindi, dabbawalla translates to "lunchbox man." The dabbawalla is an age-old trade comprising of a network of about 5,000 men, most of them illiterate, with the complex task of delivering 200,000 home-made lunches each day from suburban homes in India to downtown offices in the city of Mumbai — all within a period of three hours.

The student dabbawallas, accompanied by their SMART mentors, will deliver food in organized teams to city officials and community organizations throughout Summit, including the Mayor, the Summit Police Department and the Summit Board of Education. The students will follow the specific protocols of the authentic dabbawallas in India, delivering the food with speed and efficiency. Following the deliveries, the students and their mentors will be guests of the restaurant for a cooking demonstration and samples of Indian food.

The National Council of Negro Women, Roselle section, is celebrating its annual Harombee Brunch on Saturday.

The event will feature guest speaker Lamyra D. Clarke White, newly elected president of the Essex County chapter of the Pan-Hellenic Council. The brunch will be held at Heard AME Church, 310 E. Eighth Avenue, Roselle, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the event.

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