Policy & Advocacy Efforts

In 2022, we contended with the benefits cliff – the end of pandemic-related federal safety nets that helped our neighbors put food on the table. The expiration of eviction moratoriums, extended unemployment benefits, child tax credits, and other critical measures put thousands more New Jerseyans at risk of hunger. Disabled seniors were hard-hit by reduced SNAP benefits, and children were affected by changes to WIC and the end of universal school meals.

CFBNJ expanded its advocacy efforts to combat the effects of the benefits cliff and seek long-term policy solutions to food insecurity. To reduce bureaucracy and shorten pantry lines, we helped get signature requirements eliminated for neighbors receiving government food through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).

We also organized and attended events with government officials and other food assistance organizations. On Hunger Action Day, we came together with Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, the other four New Jersey food banks, and pantry directors from across the state to celebrate partnership and thank lawmakers for their commitment to our mission.

At the end of September, the Biden Administration held the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, & Health in over fifty years. Carlos Rodriguez attended the conference in Washington DC, along with a local neighbor in need, thanks to a grant from Feeding America. On behalf of New Jersey’s food banks and pantries, they contributed to strategies towards the Biden Administration’s goal of ending hunger in America by 2030.

To follow up the event, New Jersey’s food banks held a virtual session with the statewide network of pantries to discuss key takeaways from the conference and next steps in the fight against food insecurity. This marked the official kick-off of future collaboration between the five food banks.

Together, we’re working to lift up the voices of our neighbors in need as we continue to seek lasting solutions to hunger in New Jersey. It is our responsibility to incorporate their perspectives into our work and into the policy solutions meant to benefit them.