Blue Jean Ball

Name: Blue Jean Ball
Start: 2025-06-12
End: 2025-06-12
Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center

The Blue Jean Ball in 2025 will be the Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s (CFBNJ) culminating celebration of its 50th year of serving communities in the Garden State. This beloved gala fundraiser is always a special occasion to gather in support of CFBNJ’s mission of FOOD, HELP, and HOPE, and to recognize those who have gone above and beyond to support New Jersey families in need. The Blue Jean Ball begins with an indoor-outdoor cocktail reception, followed by a sit-down gourmet dinner, award ceremony, and entertainment on stage against the stunning backdrop of NJPAC’s main theater.

For more information about this year’s event or for ticket and Sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Special Events office at events@cfbnj.org / 908-485-4462 or click the button below.

Blue Jean Ball Highlights & Photos

2024

Blue Jean Ball Chairs

Lyn and Dan Cregg
D’Maris and Joe Dempsey
Patty and Chris Perry
Judy and Bob Spires

Blue Jean Ball 2024 Honorees:

FOOD AWARD

Our signature Check-Out Hunger Sponsor and Partners

Premio Food, Inc.
Wakefern Food Corp.
The Wawa Foundation
Wegmans

HELP AWARD

For decades of volunteerism and philanthropy

Peerless Beverage Company

HOPE AWARD

Our Newark-based program partners and champions of change in fighting food insecurity

FOCUS Hispanic Center for Community Development, Inc.
North Jersey Community Research Initiative
New Jersey Devils, Prudential Center, and Devils Youth Foundation
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Services Food Pantry
Rutgers University-Newark pantryRUN
St. James Social Service Corporation
Tree House Cares
2023

Blue Jean Ball Chairs

Polly and Terry O’Toole
Patty and Chris Perry
Judy and Bob Spires
Jane and Mark Wilf

Master of Ceremonies

Adam Sank

Featuring Entertainment

Lexi Lawson

Blue Jean Ball 2023 Honorees:

FOOD AWARD

New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher

For his vision and support to advance access to fresh, nutritious, and delicious food statewide, and to nurture the healthiest of outcomes for the state’s most vulnerable.

HELP AWARD

Roby and Josh Weinreich

For their decades of leadership and personal commitment to CFBNJ’s mission, and their incredible efforts in response to the pandemic.

HOPE AWARD

Eastern Fresh Growers
Meadowlands YMCA
Mid-Atlantic Regional Cooperative
Saint John United Methodist Church

Our dedicated partners, who provide essential fresh produce and inspire healthy and positive lifestyles for our neighbors in need.

THANK YOU SPONSORS:

Blue Jean Hero

Jess Chang and Wayne Paglieri

Denim Diamond

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Rachel and Michael Rimland

Dungaree Idol

Appaloosa L.P./The Tepper Foundation
Larry L. Luing Family Foundation
Frances Burns and Richard S. Nitzberg
Polly and Terry O’Toole
Roby and Josh Weinreich

Boot Cut Savior

Amerigroup
Patty and Chris Perry/Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.
The Leon and Toby Cooperman Family Foundation
Jane and Mark Wilf

Bell Bottom Benefactor

ACME Markets Foundation
Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.
CA Ferolie
D’Maris and Joseph Dempsey
Pamela and Andy Federbusch
Jill and Cameron Gateman
Goya Foods
Karen and Ralph Izzo/PSEG
Kings Foundation
Melanie and Alan Levitan
Mazars USA LLP
Peerless Beverage Company
Pfizer
Prudential Financial
PSEG
RWJBarnabas Health
Sanofi
Summit Health Cares
Wakefern Food Corp.
2022

Blue Jean Ball Chairs

Denise & Tony Ferolie
Patty & Chris Perry
Roby & Josh Weinreich

Honorees

Food Award

Acme & Kings Nourishing Neighbors
A leading partner of CFBNJ in food donations, financial support, awareness and volunteerism.

Help Award

Bank of America
Decades of philanthropic investment in CFBNJ
and an extraordinary commitment to pandemic response.

Hope Award

A Salute to Bergen County
Our strong alliance, with whom we have been working hand in hand, side by side fighting the effects of COVID-19 and its impact on our New Jersey neighbors in need.

Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Silna Zur
The Russell Berrie Foundation
Center for Food Action in New Jersey
Varick Memorial Food Pantry

Sponsors

Blue Jean Heroes

ACME/Kings: Nourishing Neighbors
Bank of America
Wayne Paglieri and Jess Chang

Denim Diamond

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Dungaree Idols

Luing Family Foundation
Terence and Paula O’Toole
Roby and Josh Weinreich
2021

Because of the generosity of sponsors, honorees, performers, and nearly 400 virtual attendees, we raised over $1.3 million for CFBNJ’s mission during this time when it’s needed most. THANK YOU to all who attended and supported the beloved annual event!

Special thanks to event chairs Alma DeMetropolis, Polly & Terry O’Toole, Patty & Chris Perry, Roby & Josh Weinreich.

HONOREES

FOOD AWARD

Stop & Shop

HELP AWARD

First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Snyder Murphy
New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund

HOPE AWARD

Partners in Disaster & Pandemic

Thank you, sponsors:

BLUE JEAN HERO
Bank of America
Wayne Paglieri
Stop & Shop
Manny & Mila Teixeira Foundation Inc.

DENIM DIAMOND
JPMorgan Chase & Co.

DUNGAREE IDOL
Luing Family Foundation
Polly and Terry O’Toole
Roby and Josh Weinreich
Josh Weston
Wilf Family Foundations

BOOT CUT SAVIOR
Dottie Litwin-Brief and Donald Brief
Leon and Toby Cooperman Family Foundation
Frances Burns and Richard S. Nitzberg
Patty and Chris Perry/Broadridge
PNC
Prudential

BELL BOTTOM BENEFACTOR
Alma DeMetropolis
D’Maris & Joseph Dempsey and Melanie & Alan Levitan
ESM Ferolie Group/ Beacon United Brokers
Pamela and Andrew Federbusch
Jill and Cameron Gateman
Goya Foods
Mazars
New York Giants
Peerless Beverage Company
Pfizer
PSEG
Eileen and Les Quick
Wakefern Food Corp.
2019

Heartwarming support from all fronts plus months of planning with our devoted partners, the Blue Jean Ball 2019 came to an end with more than $1.36 million raised to help the Community FoodBank of New Jersey to continue providing Food, Help and Hope to our hungry neighbors.

Special thanks to our event chairs Alma DeMetropolis, Patty & Chris Perry, Liz & Tom Pryma and Roby & Josh Weinreich and the Board of the FoodBank for their leadership.

Photos by Turtlebox Pictures.

FOOD AWARD

WAKEFERN FOOD CORP.
One of our founding partners, Wakefern Food Corp., a retail cooperative, is the largest food donor to the FoodBank. Wakefern and the fifty member families that own and operate ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, Dearborn Market and The Fresh Grocer stores also provide leading financial support and engage thousands of employees in our volunteer efforts while bringing awareness to the issue of hunger in their stores.

HELP AWARD

JUDY & JOSH WESTON
Judy and Josh Weston are two of the FoodBank’s most dedicated philanthropic leaders. For decades, their unwavering guidance has been instrumental in maximizing our impact as we nourish our hungry neighbors in need.

HOPE AWARD

SUMMIT MEDICAL GROUP FOUNDATION AND SEVEN AGENCY PARTNERS
Our collaboration with Summit Medical Group Foundation on the pilot initiative – Food, Health and Hope: An Answer to Diabetes, helps clients with diabetes by providing a twelve month program offering health screenings, diabetes-friendly food and nutrition education. Agency partners being honored include: Father English Community Center; FOCUS: Hispanic Center for Community Development, Inc; House of Prayer Baptist Church Food Pantry; Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges; Salvation Army of Plainfield; SDA Church of the Oranges; Solid Rock Baptist Church Food Pantry.
2018

Thanks to the event chairs, sponsors, and more than 450 attendees, the All New Blue Jean Ball raised more than $1.1 million to support CFBNJ’s mission! The event featured food truck fun with Premio Foods, Compass Group, Harvest Restaurant Group, and Stone Soup, our own on-site catering service. The formal program was emceed by Adam Sank of The Adam Sank Show and included dinner, an awards ceremony, comedy by Colin Jost (co-anchor of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update), and an appearance by special guest Jon Bon Jovi. We are so grateful for our sponsors: JP Morgan Chase & Co, Appaloosa Management LP, and Nokota Management LP.

Congratulations again to our honorees:

FOOD AWARD

Goya Foods, Inc.

HELP AWARD

David Tepper, Founder & President of Appaloosa LP

HOPE AWARD

Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Prudential Financial, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Wakefern Food Corporation, Lafayette Elementary School, Kean University, Seton Hall Preparatory School, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Bob Griffin, Carol Haws, Betsey Bernhardt, and Nancy & John Shaw.