Though Tony and his wife both have full-time jobs, sometimes they need extra help from their local food pantry, Gateway Community Action Partnership ...in Bridgeton.
“Coming to the pantry is a very pleasant experience,” Tony said. “I appreciate it so much.”
Tony works in the transportation department for the local public schools, and his wife is a tax accountant, but the high cost of living in New Jersey makes it difficult for them to put food on the table. When Tony comes to the pantry, he looks for fresh staples that he and his wife wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
“We like vegetables, milk, and eggs,” he said. “And the pantry offers all of that.”
Cumberland County is New Jersey’s poorest county, with a median household income that’s 35% lower than the state’s. And Bridgeton, where Tony and his wife live, is rural, isolated, and particularly under-invested.
“Times are tough, especially here,” he said. “But this helps my wife and I a lot.”