The Year of the Network

Throughout the year, CFBNJ provided more than 300 local organizations with nearly $4 million in grants to help them sustain their operations, expand their capabilities, and implement innovative solutions to improve food security in their communities.

This was just the beginning of our multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment in the programs that serve as the boots on the ground in the fight against hunger. We partnered with Mercer Street Friends and NORWESCAP to launch the first round of grants, in collaboration with the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund’s Endurance Grants program. Organizations in15 of New Jersey’s 21 counties received funding.

The Salvation Army of Montclair operates a soup kitchen and emergency shelter and used their much-needed grant to pay for winterization measures and increased staffing costs that resulted from the pandemic. Funds for snow plowing and salting helped neighbors safely access their Drop-in Center program, which provides hot meals, refuge from the weather, and community and case management to unhoused individuals. They shared one client’s story with us:

Table of Hope in Morristown, another grantee, was able to offset overhead costs, obtain two generators, and purchase a refrigerator with the funds they received. The organization has seen a significant increase in people coming to them for help since the start of the pandemic. “We could not serve the level of families that we’ve been seeing without CFBNJ’s incredible support,” they said. “In particular, the two generators that we were able to purchase will be a significant help and cost savings in case of a power outage.”