AT CFBNJ, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT FOOD WE PROVIDE BUT ALSO HOW WE PROVIDE IT.
In 2023, CFBNJ’s on-site Community Assistance Pantry in Egg Harbor Township transitioned back to a choice model after years of providing bagged grab-and-go food as a safety measure due to the pandemic. Creating a shopping experience like that of a grocery store to empower our neighbors to choose what they get at food pantries is beneficial for so many reasons. On a practical level, it reduces waste by ensuring that people will use everything they take home to their families. But even more important than that, it affords our neighbors in need the dignity of being able to choose food tailored to their households’ cultures, religious traditions, dietary needs, and preferences. Also as part of the refreshed model, we are assisting our neighbors through SNAP enrollment and case management, helping them identify the causes of their food insecurity and providing them with appropriate resources.
We will also utilize a choice model when our new pantry opens in Garfield as part of the Unity Health Center – a multisector collaborative effort to address the social determinants of health in Bergen County. The Unity Health Center, which was in progress throughout 2023, will be a health and wellness center that provides accessible, quality, and comprehensive care to low-income, underserved, and underinsured residents of Garfield and the surrounding towns. It will house resources provided by several area nonprofits, including a client choice food pantry, a demonstration kitchen, an in-house pharmacy, medical labs, examination rooms, and so much more.
At our pantry in the Unity Health Center, CFBNJ will emphasize healthy food options and provide nutrition education. Through an initiative called Growing Healthy Pantries, which was launched in partnership with New Jersey’s other four food banks, we have created a toolkit to help pantries across the state follow suit. The toolkit provides best practices, strategies, and resources to support food pantries in their journeys to becoming healthier spaces. It guides pantry staff and volunteers in making changes like developing nutrition policies, increasing healthy food options, and providing supportive services like nutrition education.
By focusing on choice and nutritious options, we can help to ensure healthy, active lives for our neighbors in need.
