Garfield Unity Pantry serves as a resource for neighbors in need, as part of the Unity Health Partnership
HILLSIDE, NJ — September 19, 2024
Today, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), the state’s largest anti-hunger, anti-poverty organization, held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of its new Garfield Unity Pantry, part of the Unity Health Partnership led by Greater Bergen Community Action. The celebration marked the official launch of the pantry, which is dedicated to serving neighbors in need in Garfield and the surrounding towns.
Garfield Unity Pantry is a supermarket-style client choice food pantry that emphasizes healthy options and prioritizes dignity by allowing neighbors to choose the food they want for their families. The pantry also offers nutrition education and application assistance for SNAP, WIC, and school meals for a holistic approach to food insecurity.
“As part of CFBNJ’s strategic plan, we’re working to understand the need on the county and individual community levels to increase pantry services in areas that may need more,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “Our goal is a fully nourished Garfield as we work to address hunger as a health issue across New Jersey.”
The Unity Health Partnership is a multi-sector collaborative effort between several area nonprofits to address the social determinants of health in Bergen County. The partnership will serve as a health and wellness center that provides medical, mental health, pharmaceutical, and food assistance to low-income, underserved, and underinsured residents. Even in a healthcare-rich and prosperous suburban area like Bergen County, there are barriers to quality care for many people. Nearly 85,000 individuals in the county are food insecure – about 8.9% of the total population – including nearly 14,000 children.
Garfield, specifically, is a high-need community, where many children receive free school meals and where residents have a high propensity towards diabetes, obesity, and other diet-related illnesses. Food insecurity and health are linked, and CFBNJ works to address the interconnectedness between them.
Garfield Unity Pantry is also a pilot pantry for Growing Healthy Pantries, a statewide initiative that supports food pantries on their journeys to becoming healthier spaces by providing a toolkit with resources to help them develop nutrition policy, increase healthy food options, and provide essential services that address the root causes of food insecurity. Growing Healthy Pantries is powered by lead funding from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey and Feeding America.
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The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) is the largest anti-hunger, anti-poverty organization in the state, where nearly one million neighbors, including 1 in 8 children, struggle with the emptiness caused by hunger. We are the lead source of nourishing food for 800 pantries serving everyone from infants to college students to families and seniors. Our comprehensive approach addresses the root causes of hunger through food benefits and social services, job training and certification, local farm partnerships, and food policies that nurture all New Jerseyans. By providing food, help, and hope, we are building a food secure future for New Jersey. CFBNJ is a proud member of Feeding America®.