People Who Have Helped Shape CFBNJ Over The Past 50 Years
Thanks to caring supporters like you in 2024, CFBNJ provided enough food for over 90 million meals to neighbors facing hunger last year.
Giving and getting back is everything.
Cathy McCann
Retired CFBNJ VP of Operations
Cathy McCann had recently left a successful logistics career at Pepsi when a mutual friend connected her with Kathleen DiChiara. Cathy’s skills and dedication met Kathleen’s conviction and boundless energy, and the rest is history. Kathleen convinced her to “join us for six months – and then we will sit down for an evaluation.” But that evaluation never happened, and for thirty-five years Cathy helped to build CFBNJ as we know it today.
When Cathy joined in 1984, CFBNJ was operating out of its very first warehouse in Newark. The entire staff consisted of five people, plus a retiree who did odd jobs and a part-time truck driver. There was no money for them to purchase a truck, so they rented or borrowed one when they could. The space was so narrow that everything had to be loaded by hand – they had no forklifts or pallet jacks in those days. Cathy remembered, “If a delivery came in, every single employee stopped whatever they were doing to carry food through case by case by case.”
Food banking was a young movement. Every day was something new, and every decision was an experiment. Yet, in that first year together, they moved a million pounds of food.
To Cathy, “giving and getting back is everything.” She loved going home from work every day, knowing that together she and the staff had made the world a little bit better. She looks back on her long career “with gratitude for the meaning that my work at CFBNJ gave to my life.”
Hassan Hooker
CFBNJ Assistant Director Of Operations
Hassan Hooker says he’s alive today because of CFBNJ. Reflecting on his tough early years in Newark’s public housing, he shared, “I was going 100 miles an hour down the wrong path, but the FoodBank saved me. On the streets, I wasn’t doing the right things.”
But everything changed for him in 1996 when his uncle and a friend got jobs at CFBNJ and brought him to meet Kathleen DiChiara.
“She told me, ‘I’m going to start you as a day laborer and see how you work out.’ By Friday, she offered me a full-time position,” he recalled. Hassan has been with CFBNJ ever since, now serving as its longest-tenured employee.
Starting as a warehouse selector, he worked his way up to Assistant Director of Operations. “Every day, I start at six in the morning, and I’m nonstop busy until 2:30,” Hassan explained.
Another constant in his life is the special place that Kathleen DiChiara has in his heart.
“No matter what you were going through, she was always there to help,” he said. For Hassan, this included help getting diapers when his second child was born: “I don’t think I paid for diapers the whole time my son was in diapers. She made sure of that.”
Hassan’s work is especially meaningful to him because he grew up receiving food assistance from organizations like CFBNJ.
I was going 100 miles an hour down the wrong path, but the FoodBank saved me. On the streets, I wasn’t doing the right things.
For me, the FoodBank embodies dignity and respect for those in need.
Craig J. Coughlin
New Jersey Assembly Speaker
New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin fondly reflects on his relationship with CFBNJ and his commitment to addressing hunger, a cause he has championed since taking office.
“One of my first actions as Speaker was to meet with the FoodBank,” he recalled. “I walked into their building and felt the warmth, the commitment. It felt like a place where people genuinely care about the community.”
Since 2018, Coughlin has made food insecurity a legislative priority, working to expand access to nutritious food and reduce the stigma surrounding hunger. His connection to the FoodBank goes beyond policy work. He has developed a genuine admiration for the organization’s values.
“For me, the FoodBank embodies dignity and respect for those in need. They’ve created a system where people can choose their food, much like any of us would at a grocery store,” he said. “That choice makes all the difference. It changes the experience for families and individuals.”
Coughlin’s efforts have focused on expanding the reach of food assistance programs, especially in underserved communities. He emphasizes that hunger isn’t an isolated issue; it’s deeply tied to other challenges like housing, employment, and healthcare.
“Addressing hunger means looking at the bigger picture,” he explained. “People who need food assistance often face multiple barriers, and if we can tackle hunger, we’re helping to lift up our communities in so many other ways.”
Looking toward the future, Coughlin has big hopes for the FoodBank’s continued success: “Hunger isn’t just a local issue; it’s something we all must address together. And I believe that with innovative thinking and partnerships, we can make New Jersey a model for the entire country.”
Lois Bennett
Founder/Director, Feeding Hands
Lois Bennett never imagined she would end up running one of the largest food pantries in New Jersey. But looking back now, it makes perfect sense. Her journey started with a deep understanding of struggle.
“Two of my three kids were born with a genetic condition that was supposed to kill them before they left high school,” she shared. The challenges of raising a family while navigating the medical system, insurance battles, and financial strain opened her eyes to just how hard life could be. “I would say to my husband, ‘I have no idea how a single mom does it.’”
That question turned into action. Lois started small, helping to collect and distribute food through her church. It wasn’t long before she launched her own pantry, eventually establishing Feeding Hands as a formalized nonprofit ten years ago.
“When I first started, I was putting food in my car, driving it to make sure people got fed,” she recalled.
That hands-on dedication has grown into an impressive operation, and Feeding Hands now mobilizes 23,000 volunteer hours each year to address food insecurity in Somerset County, in partnership with CFBNJ. “Without the FoodBank, there’s no way I could have started this pantry. They took me in, made it happen for me, and now we’re feeding thousands.”
Looking ahead, Lois has a clear vision of what needs to change: “Food is a basic need. I would love to see our country recognize that. We’ll probably never get to zero hunger, but we need to be advocating more, to the government, to donors, to anyone who will listen.”
