Hunger in the Garden State-
Over 1 Million People in New Jersey are Food Insecure

In New Jersey, food insecurity affects over 1.1 million people according to America’s 2012 Food Insecurity and Food Costs in the US report. There are a number of organizations and programs in New Jersey dedicated to addressing hunger in their respective communities. The articles in this post discuss how such NJ organizations are providing necessary resources and aid to those affected by hunger.

Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) treats kids for Halloween

On October 31, 2016, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen held their annual Halloween Party for kids. Student volunteers from The College of New Jersey and Rider University provided fun activities for the kids to enjoy. ABout 100 children from the Trenton area participated and attended the event. Photos of the event are posted on NJ.com’s website (link above)

Child-hunger top priority for Food Warehouse of Mercer County

1 in 5 children living in New Jersey are facing food insecurity. The Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County established its Backpack Program in 2009. The program is a nationwide program of Feeding America and feeds hungry school children on the weekends. The warehouse serves eight Mercer County school districts. Last year, Walmart gave an $88,000 grant to the program. According to the article, the grant will feed almost 400 kids in Mercer County every weekend for one school year considering it costs $225 to feed one child on the weekends.

Advocates: NJ’s hunger crisis about to get worse

New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition published an article on the need for advocacy to prevent thousands of New Jerseyans being cut from SNAP/food stamps program, which will lead to more hunger. The article goes into great detail about the importance of the SNAP program. According to the article, the federal law requires that adults age 18-50 who are able to work can only get SNAP benefits for three months in a three-year period unless they work at least 20 hours a week or participate in an approved employment and training or workforce program. The problem with this new federal ruling, is that it doesn’t take into account the state’s unemployment rate that affect the areas most in need of SNAP.

Grant will help feed the hungry by NJJN Staff

Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) was presented a $10,000 grant from the Employee Giving Fund of Church & Dwight Inc., which will provide food insecure patrons of the JFCS food pantry access to healthy foods. With this grant, JFCS will continue to offer hunger education and advocacy programs to community members.