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Thank you for joining our efforts to end food insecurity in New Jersey. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need.

There are many ways to make change happen.

Learn

Understand the current landscape of food insecurity and the public programs that address it.

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Let our lawmakers and community know you support our work.

Volunteer

Check out the many ways you can give your time.

Donate

Your generosity makes a critical difference in the work we do.

Connect With Legislators

Learn To Be An Advocate

Programs at the federal, state, and local levels protect our communities from hunger. It’s important to learn more about how they work, how they are funded, and to hear about our neighbors’ experiences with food insecurity in their own words.

Hunger By The Numbers

0

of New Jerseyans are food insecure.

0

of children in NJ are food insecure.

0

of Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland county residents face hunger.

0

of kids in South Jersey face hunger.

0

is the poverty level for a family of 4.

0

is the minimum SNAP benefit.

SNAP

SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) serves more than 800,000 people in New Jersey and is the first line of defense against hunger for families, seniors, and adults with disabilities who have low incomes. SNAP works as a debit card that can only be used to buy food.

WIC

WIC (Women, Infants, Children) is a federal feeding program. It gives families with young children cash value cards to use when shopping for important healthy foods and offers nutrition information and other services.

National School Meal Program

Providing 395,000 children in New Jersey with free lunch and breakfast, the National School Meal Program ensures that they have enough nutrition during the school day to learn. It is available in most public schools, as well as many non-profit private and  parochial schools.

Common Myths About Government Programs

MYTH

People who use these programs may not really need them.

FACT

Poverty in the U.S. is widespread: The Federal Reserve recently reported that 39 percent of Americans do not have enough savings to cover a $400 emergency and that about two-thirds of Americans between the ages of 20 and 65 will use one of these programs for at least a year.

MYTH

These programs are wasteful and give money to lazy people, undocumented people, or people who don’t really need help.

FACT

Poverty particularly affects seniors, people with disabilities, and children. It is estimated that half of all American children will have received SNAP benefits by the time they reach age 18. More than 75% of households receiving SNAP have at least one child, senior, and/or disabled person living there.

MYTH

The federal poverty levels are a measure of modern-day finances.

FACT

The way poverty is measured hasn’t changed since 1969 and is only adjusted annually for inflation.

How Does a Food Bank Work

How Food Gets to Pantries, Soup Kitchens, and Shelters

Our FoodBank is a complex storage and distribution system. It allows a river of food to flow efficiently through loading docks, onto trucks, and out into communities. Our warehouses provide safe storage, while the food finds its way to soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and feeding programs around the state. Because we know what food they need and when they need it, we are able to marshal our resources to provide it in the most cost-effective way possible, to the people who need it most. Our food sourcing experts take advantage of economies of scale, bulk-purchasing power, and relationships with retailers, food producers and packagers who donate surplus, close-dated, and mispackaged but perfectly good food.

More About Our Solutions to Hunger

We also act as a contractor for the State and Federal Government, administering their food purchasing programs and distributing the commodity supplemental food they package and supply, and through our national parent organization, Feeding America^®, we participate in an inter-food bank exchange that allows each food bank to balance inventory, sending a surplus of corn, say, in one direction, and getting a needed shipment of pasta in return.

Finally, food banking reduces food waste. Last year, the Feeding America^® network rescued 3.3 billion pounds of good food, which would otherwise end up in landfills. The bottom line? It costs us one dollar to provide one person with a healthy, balanced diet for an entire day.

Stay Informed About The Community FoodBank Of New Jersey

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How Are Nutrition Programs Funded?

The benefit portion of these programs are primarily funded by the federal government. The state contributes to administering SNAP and also contributes toward the cost of school meals.

Current Legislation

Understanding the Farm Bill

Food distribution by CFBNJ, our fellow New Jersey food banks, and our network of community partners (soup kitchens, food pantries, after-school and summer feeding programs, etc.) can meet only a small portion of the need of nearly 1 million of our neighbors facing food insecurity here in New Jersey.

The Farm Bill, passed every five years by Congress, contains funding for nutritional programs that are of critical importance to vulnerable families, seniors, and adults with disabilities. Making sure that Congress passes the strongest possible bill to provide funding for SNAP is a crucial advocacy priority.

Here are our priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill.

SNAP

Protect, strengthen and expand SNAP, simplify the SNAP application process and maintain all  state flexibilities.

TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program)

Provide $350 million per year for TEFAP and $100 million a year for TEFAP storage and distribution to ensure adequate food for emergency food charities across the country.

FARM BILL PRIORITIES

Our Neighbors' Stories

NJ Food Banks’ Statement on Changes to SNAP

NJ Food Banks’ Statement on Changes to SNAP https://cfbnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SNAP-3.jpg 1280 550 CFBNJ CFBNJ https://cfbnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SNAP-3.jpg July 22, 2025 July 22, 2025

Statement from Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO, Community FoodBank of New Jersey; Fred Wasiak, President & CEO, Food Bank of South Jersey; Triada Stampas, President & CEO, Fulfill; Bernie Flynn, CEO, Mercer Street Friends; and Mark Valli, CEO, Norwescap At a time when so many of our neighbors are already struggling to afford their basic…

Kids Cafe Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Diana & Ilona

Kids Cafe Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Diana & Ilona https://cfbnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Diana-Ilona.jpg 1280 550 CFBNJ CFBNJ https://cfbnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Diana-Ilona.jpg July 22, 2025 July 22, 2025

Diana Sohnle and Ilona Seibert have been volunteering at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) since March 2019, dedicating their Monday mornings to packaging food that nourishes children through the Kids Cafe program. After many years working for large companies, they were both looking for a meaningful way to give back in retirement. …

Neighbor Spotlight: Meet Mona

Neighbor Spotlight: Meet Mona https://cfbnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Mona.jpg 1280 550 CFBNJ CFBNJ https://cfbnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Mona.jpg July 18, 2025 July 18, 2025

Grandmother of five Mona recently visited CFBNJ’s Community Assistance Pantry in Egg Harbor Township for the first time – but it wasn’t her first time receiving help from the FoodBank. She’s been to CFBNJ’s mobile pantry before, and both programs have made a real difference. “Coming to the pantry saves money because grocery prices are…

Neighbor Spotlight: Meet Laurie

Neighbor Spotlight: Meet Laurie https://cfbnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie.jpg 1280 550 CFBNJ CFBNJ https://cfbnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laurie.jpg July 18, 2025 July 18, 2025

Laurie has spent her entire life around food. Starting as a dishwasher at just 12 years old, she worked her way through nearly every job in the food and beverage industry – host, waitress, manager, cook, bartender, and even wedding caterer. After decades on her feet became too much, she retired and now lives with…

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Hunger By The Numbers

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Common Myths About Government Programs

MYTH

FACT

MYTH

FACT

MYTH

FACT

How Does a Food Bank Work

How Food Gets to Pantries, Soup Kitchens, and Shelters

More About Our Solutions to Hunger

Stay Informed About The Community FoodBank Of New Jersey

How Are Nutrition Programs Funded?

Current Legislation

Understanding the Farm Bill

Here are our priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill.

SNAP

TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program)

Our Neighbors' Stories

NJ Food Banks’ Statement on Changes to SNAP

Kids Cafe Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Diana & Ilona

Neighbor Spotlight: Meet Mona

Neighbor Spotlight: Meet Laurie

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