In Your Neighborhood: Growing Healthy Pantries Initiative Grants

New Jersey’s five food banks have awarded grants to 17 local food assistance organizations through the collaborative Growing Healthy Pantries initiative. Each organization received up to $20,000 to support choice-focused projects, such as transitioning from pre-packed groceries to full client-choice shopping models, outfitting mobile pantries with shelving and refrigeration, and bridging language barriers with technology to increase accessibility and strengthen inclusivity.   

Grantees will also participate in a year-long cohort designed to improve pantry environments, with support including technical assistance, peer learning, and ongoing evaluation through surveys, focus groups, and site visits. 

“We want to create a space where neighbors truly feel like they are part of a community, rather than just recipients of charity,” said Sarah Haefele of Community Presbyterian Church in Brigantine, one of the organizations that received funding. “It’s important that our neighbors feel cared for — not just by the food we provide, but by the genuine support and thoughtfulness behind it.”  

At the end of the cohort year, participants will share their projects with the group. The effort aims to create food pantry spaces that offer not just emergency relief, but also dignity and empowerment — where neighbors can choose the foods that best meet their needs. Overall, food insecurity in the state is up 65% over pre-pandemic, and the threats posed by federal budget cuts make this work by food banks and pantries more critical than ever before.