FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nicole Williams, Communications & Public Relations Manager
nwilliams@cfbnj.org / 732-798-5213
COMMUNITY FOODBANK OF NEW JERSEY PROVIDES DISASTER RELIEF SUPPORT TO 15 LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
More than $500,000 was disbursed to fund Hurricane Ida damage repairs
HILLSIDE, NJ—March 22, 2022
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) today announced the distribution of over $500,000 in grants to fifteen local organizations that suffered severe damage during Hurricane Ida in September 2021. Affected food pantries and shelters in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties were provided with funds to help them afford the costs of repairs and food replacement.
Some of these organizations were almost completely wiped out by the storm, which caused about $1 million in total damage to CFBNJ itself and more than a dozen of its community partners. At a time when the rising cost of living and the continuing effects of the pandemic have elevated the need for food assistance, CFBNJ is committed to getting these nonprofits’ operations back on track.
“Since suffering extensive damage from Hurricane Ida, many of the organizations receiving these grants have been operating with very limited capacity or have been closed entirely,” said Carlos Rodriguez, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “But their work within the community is more important now than ever before, so we’re dedicated to helping them get up and running again.”
The funds from this grantmaking initiative were raised through CFBNJ’s Recovery Challenge Initiative, with leadership support from the Wilf Family Foundation. A generous donor pledged $1 million over three years and challenged the FoodBank to raise an additional $3 million towards emergency relief. Amid unprecedented challenges, support for this initiative has helped CFBNJ to build back communities and invest in historically under-resourced neighborhoods.
Organizations that received funding included:
- Boys & Girls Club of Lower Bergen County, Inc.
- C.E.A Church of God
- Chances @ MCC Emergency Food Pantry
- Christ Fellowship
- Circle of Life Treatment
- Elizabethport Presbyterian Center
- Episcopal Jersey City
- Feeding Hands Inc.
- First Baptist Church of Cranford/Elizabeth
- Franklin-St. John’s Community Center
- Greater New Point Missionary Baptist Church
- Iglesia Jesucristo Es El Señor Inc.
- Joi’s Angels
- Rahway Food For Friends
- SRC/Five Loaves Food Pantry
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The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), a member of Feeding America®, has been delivering food, help and hope across the state for more than 45 years. Last year, CFBNJ provided nutritious food for over 85 million meals through its network of more than 800 community partners including pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, mobile pantries, and child and senior feeding programs throughout the 15 New Jersey counties it serves. For our hungry neighbors, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey is the powerful agent of change that fills the emptiness caused by hunger and provides resources that are essential to earning a sustainable living.