COMMUNITY FOODBANK OF NEW JERSEY DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 5,000 TURKEYS, HAMS, AND CHICKEN ROASTERS TO ESSEX COUNTY FOOD ASSISTANCE ORGANIZATIONS
State’s largest food bank supplies local partners with meals to fight hunger this holiday season
HILLSIDE, NJ – November 9, 2023
On Wednesday, November 8 at Branch Brook Park in Newark, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) held a large-scale turkey distribution to its partners in Essex County, including food pantries and soup kitchens, to provide families in need with special Thanksgiving meals. Senator M. Teresa Ruiz and Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. attended the distribution.
Twenty-five local food assistance organizations received more than 5,000 turkeys, hams, and chicken roasters, along with nearly 1,800 holiday meal kits that include popular fixings like vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, and more.
During the weeks ahead, many families across the Garden State will struggle to put holiday meals on the table. In New Jersey, more than 725,000 people are food insecure, including 175,000 children. To make matters more challenging, the cost of food has increased dramatically.
“Special holiday meals may be out of reach for so many of our neighbors this season. A recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture says that last year, the number of people in the U.S. living in food insecure households saw the largest single-year increase since 2008,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “Hunger hurts even more at Thanksgiving. That’s why our turkey distributions are so central to our mission. Every year, our staff and community partners spend months preparing for turkey time!”
In total throughout the month of November, CFBNJ will host 12 distributions across the state to provide more than 41,000 turkeys, more than 32,000 roasters, more than 11,000 hams, and over 24,000 holiday meal kits for neighbors in need who might otherwise go without.
CFBNJ gratefully acknowledges support for its holiday food distributions from C&S Wholesale Grocers, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, JPMorgan Chase, McDonald’s Owner/Operators Association, Merck, Stop & Shop, Wakefern Food Corp., and countless individuals.
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The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), a member of Feeding America® and the state’s largest anti-hunger organization, has been delivering food, help, and hope across the Garden State for nearly 50 years. Last year, CFBNJ Commented [EM1]: @Nicole Williams I think it sounds a little weird to give a stat from 2022, since we often say people thought it would get better this year. I know the stat might not be updated, but maybe say “the last year had the largest increase since 2008” or something like that? provided nutritious food for over 90 million meals through its network of more than 800 community partners, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, child and senior nutrition programs, and more, serving 11 New Jersey counties directly and four in partnership with affiliate food banks. It also addresses the root causes of food insecurity with supportive services like nutrition education, job training, SNAP outreach, and hygiene product distribution. By delivering neighbor-centered solutions and collaborating with all sectors of society, CFBNJ believes that food insecurity is a solvable problem.