FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nicole Williams, Communications & Public Relations Manager
nwilliams@cfbnj.org / 732-798-5213
COMMUNITY FOODBANK OF NEW JERESEY REPORTS ON ONE YEAR RESPONDING TO COVID-19
The state’s largest food bank has distributed a record amount of food during the pandemic
HILLSIDE, NJ—March 9, 2021
One year after COVID-19 struck New Jersey, shutting the entire state down and precipitating an unprecedented health and economic crisis, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) is releasing a special report on a year’s worth of activity in response to the pandemic. The report, titled “We Are There for Our Neighbors: One Year of Nourishing New Jersey in a Pandemic,” describes the challenges faced by the charitable food system and what the state’s largest food bank has done to address the tremendous rise in hunger caused by COVID-19.
Among CFBNJ’s most notable accomplishments was the record amount of food provided during the year—enough to support 83 million nutritious meals. This includes 182,500 heart-healthy prepared meals for homebound seniors and food for 238,000 emergency meal kits distributed at 40 large-scale events across 12 counties. In September, CFBNJ reported that food insecurity in New Jersey was projected to rise by 56% due to COVID-19. This expectation became reality in the months that followed, and today, more than 1.2 million residents don’t know where their next meal is coming from, including nearly 400,000 children.
“With more of our neighbors facing food insecurity than ever before, we and our network of community partners have adapted and taken a diverse approach to safely increase food output, while also prioritizing resource access initiatives and efforts to affect meaningful policy change,” said Carlos Rodriguez, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but I’m proud of how quickly we’ve mobilized and what we’ve accomplished together in one year responding to this crisis.”
The report also details CFBNJ’s work feeding children who have missed free and reduced school meals, initiatives to help families access SNAP and other financial assistance, and the heroic volunteer efforts that have made it all possible. Knowing that the economic impacts of the pandemic will outlast COVID-19 itself, CFBNJ concludes the report with information about the financial impact that the organization expects to face in the year ahead.
To read the full report, visit cfbnj.org/coronavirus.
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The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), a member of Feeding America®, has been delivering food, help and hope across the state for 45 years. Last year, CFBNJ provided nutritious food for over 66 million meals through its network of more than 1,000 community partners including pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, mobile pantries, and child and senior feeding programs throughout the 15 New Jersey counties it serves. For our hungry neighbors, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey is the powerful agent of change that fills the emptiness caused by hunger and provides resources that are essential to earning a sustainable living.
