Part of a coalition of Passaic County organizations that provides residents with access to childcare, child welfare services, housing, mental health services, and food, the Boys & Girls Club of Passaic and Paterson is a crucial partner of CFBNJ.
Over the course of the pandemic, they have distributed emergency meal kits to families in need and delivered food to those who are homebound, such as seniors, new moms, those who have tested positive for COVID-19, and patients residing at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson.
“We’ve never done anything like this before, but the collaboration of the Passaic County Pandemic Partnership is really what has made our crisis response successful,” Wendy McGuire, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Passaic and Paterson, tells us.
Throughout the pandemic, CFBNJ’s child nutrition programs, including Family Packs, grab-and-go meals, and summer food, have provided nearly 680,000 meals to kids in need and their families. The Boys & Girls Club of Passaic and Paterson helped make this possible.
“None of it would have been possible without our partnership with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey,” says Wendy McGuire.
CFBNJ is committed to filling in the gaps of child food insecurity, collaborating with Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, public school districts and charter school networks, with a focus in high priority areas where there is a higher percentage of children and families qualifying for free school meals.