For 50 years, CFBNJ has supported countless families in need with food for nutritious meals. But we can’t address the root causes of hunger without government advocates, like Governor Phil Murphy. For years, Governor Murphy has championed the FoodBank’s mission, making anti-hunger legislation a Statehouse priority and even volunteering his own time to make a difference.
“This is an anniversary CFBNJ should be deeply proud of,” he said. “But it is also one that is bittersweet because your founder, Kathleen DiChiara, did not live to see it.”
Recognizing Kathleen’s trailblazing impact and the importance of the emergency food system, Governor Murphy has worked to expand financial support for food banks and enact transformative policies that make a lasting impact for neighbors in need. In 2019, he signed New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig J. Couhglin’s comprehensive anti-hunger bill package into law, which included measures to reduce food waste, address hunger on college campuses, establish the first-in-the-nation Office of the Food Security Advocate, and more. His administration also raised New Jersey’s minimum SNAP benefit to the highest in the nation, ensuring that every household receives at least $95 a month.
“These investments are changing lives,” Governor Murphy affirmed, “and so is the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.”
Also under his leadership, New Jersey has expanded access to free school meals and provided summer food assistance benefits (summer EBT) to more than half a million children, ensuring that kids continue to receive nutritious food even when school is out.
Governor Murphy and his family have personally volunteered at CFBNJ and other food banks and pantries across the state, witnessing firsthand the dedication of the staff and volunteers who work every day to help their neighbors.
“The entire Murphy clan, including our four kids, volunteers from time to time at food banks all across our state,” Governor Murphy shared. “We have seen how the tremendous staff and volunteers with organizations like the Community FoodBank of New Jersey are the most important resources we have in fighting food insecurity.”
Looking ahead to CFBNJ’s next 50 years and the future of the effort to end hunger, the Governor remains optimistic and committed: “We are so grateful this organization has called our state home for 50 years and for all the progress you have made possible in that time. And we look forward to all the progress we can continue to make together as we work to bring an end to food insecurity once and for all.”