TD BANK SUPPORTS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF NEW JERSEY’S MOBILE PANTRY HEALTH PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE
$150,000 grant will help provide nutritious food and health services for neighbors in need
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ—December 6, 2023
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) announced today that it has received a $150,000 grant from TD Bank to support its Mobile Pantry Health Partnership Initiative in Cape May and Cumberland counties.
The initiative is a new collaboration between CFBNJ, the state’s largest food bank, and CompleteCare Health Network, the second largest Federally Qualified Health Center in New Jersey, to provide healthy food, health screenings, and referrals to neighbors in need in convenient locations. TD Bank is the first of CFBNJ’s corporate partners to support the project.
“TD is proud to support innovative solutions that improve on existing healthcare practices to help reach underserved populations,” said Shelley Sylva, Head of U.S. Corporate Citizenship, TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank. “We are excited to see the positive impact the Mobile Pantry Health Partnership Initiative will have on the lives of people by bringing food insecurity services and primary care together.”
Food insecurity rates in Cape May and Cumberland counties are 9.9% and 10.4%, respectively, higher than the state’s overall rate of 8.8%, according to data from Feeding America. In parts of these counties that are particularly rural and remote, food assistance and health services may be far from neighbors’ homes and not easily accessible. The Mobile Pantry Health Partnership will utilize CFBNJ’s mobile pantries and CompleteCare’s mobile vehicle and pop-up health screenings to bring resources directly to these highest-need communities.
Last fiscal year, CFBNJ’s mobile pantries served about 15,000 people in Cape May and Cumberland counties. Many of these people live in food deserts, defined by the State’s Economic Development Authority as areas where regular access to healthy food is hindered by factors like the absence of supermarkets, poor public transit, low internet use, and high poverty rates. The majority of CompleteCare’s patients are on Medicaid or are uninsured. They also represent populations that have been shown to have the highest levels of food insecurity, like people living in public housing, veterans, unhoused individuals, seasonal farmworkers, and seniors living on fixed incomes.
“CFBNJ’s and CompleteCare’s missions intersect. Both organizations are deeply committed to improving the lives of vulnerable individuals by providing complementary supportive services, like healthy food, nutrition education, and quality healthcare,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “We are thrilled to announce this exciting new collaboration and grateful to TD Bank for their generous support that makes it possible.”
“At CompleteCare Health Network, we believe that good health extends beyond medical treatment alone. It encompasses access to nutritious food, which is a fundamental building block for a healthier community,” said J. Curtis Edwards, President & CEO of CompleteCare Health Network. “By joining forces with CFBNJ, we aim to address the root causes of health disparities and work together to ensure that no one in our community goes to bed hungry.”
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The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), a member of Feeding America® and the state’s largest anti-hunger organization, has been delivering food, help, and hope across the Garden State for nearly 50 years. Last year, CFBNJ provided nutritious food for over 90 million meals through its network of more than 800 community partners, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, child and senior nutrition programs, and more, serving 11 New Jersey counties directly and four in partnership with affiliate food banks. It also addresses the root causes of food insecurity with supportive services like nutrition education, job training, SNAP outreach, and hygiene product distribution. By delivering neighbor-centered solutions and collaborating with all sectors of society, CFBNJ believes that food insecurity is a solvable problem.
