Community FoodBank of New Jersey

It was a beautiful day to cut the ribbon for the grand opening of CFBNJ's brand new Garfield Unity Pantry. Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Silna Zur, our friends from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Dr. Jenny Schrum from the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate, and area partners joined us in celebration. At Garfield Unity Pantry, we offer fresh food - and MORE! Part of the Unity Health Partnership led by Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc., the pantry emphasizes healthy options and prioritizes dignity by enabling neighbors to choose the food they want for their families. The pantry also offers nutrition education and application assistance for SNAP, WIC, and school meals for a holistic approach to food insecurity. We're so excited about this incredible collaboration and great next step in our efforts to focus on underserved communities and address hunger's health effects!

When Gjebar Beqiri’s father came to the United States from Albania with dreams of building skyscrapers, he didn’t imagine that he would become the architect of a family business instead. It was 1986, and he and his brother saw a great need for accessible halal meat in their community. “Back in my father’s village, he had no problem purchasing halal meat because there were so many Muslims living in his area,” Gjebar explained. “But when he came to America, halal was fairly new here at the time. He couldn’t just go down the street to purchase halal meat the way he could at home.” The brothers started Brothers Quality Halal Meat as a small retail shop in Paterson, which today has New Jersey’s largest Muslim community with 30,000 members. People who once needed to drive for hours to purchase halal meat could now get it right in their neighborhood. "My father created a big impact on the community by providing halal meat,” Gjebar said. Today, his father is retired, and Gjebar and his four brothers have taken over the business. “And he's passed that down to us. We're trying to do the same now." Halal is an Arabic word meaning “permissible.” Halal meat is produced in a specific way according to dietary law derived from Islamic teachings. In his own words: "Halal meat is produced more humanely, and it has more tenderness and less waste,” Gjebar shared. As Brothers Quality Halal Meat continues to grow, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) has played a vital role. LFPA is a statewide, USDA-funded program that CFBNJ administers. The FoodBank uses LFPA funds from the NJDA to buy food from socially disadvantaged farmers and producers for distribution in underserved communities in all 21 New Jersey counties. Thanks to the increased financial stability that LFPA provides, Brothers Quality Halal Meat has hired ten new employees. They’ve also been able to buy more inventory and expand their operation. “Prior to working with the FoodBank, we had an issue where we would sometimes receive purchase orders from customers and we couldn’t provide the right inventory,” Gjebar said. “Now that we’re working with LFPA, we have the funds to buy inventory before receiving any purchase orders, so the inventory is ready to go right away, and the production team can start processing the product.” This has had many benefits for the business. “It’s led to on-time delivery and less confusion,” Gjebar said. “It pays our bills. The LFPA program has provided us tremendous help." Gjebar and everyone at Brothers Quality Halal Meat also find it meaningful that, through LFPA, some of their product helps struggling neighbors. Providing halal meat to food insecure New Jerseyans is part of CFBNJ’s critical work to provide culturally appropriate food. "That someone who's in need of halal meat can go to a pantry and receive our product really, really touches us,” Gjebar said.

Today is #HungerActionDay, and CFBNJ is calling on EVERYONE to take action against hunger - in New Jersey and across the country. Donate, volunteer, advocate, or spread the word online! According to a new report by the USDA, in 2023, food insecurity reached its highest levels in nearly a decade. The number of people living in food insecure households in the U.S. increased to 47 million, including nearly 14 million children. In a statement, CFBNJ President & CEO Elizabeth McCarthy responded to the new data: "Together with all sectors of society, from our neighbors in need to government and nonprofit partners to individual, community, and corporate supporters, we can greatly reduce food insecurity in New Jersey and across the country." Read more: https://lnkd.in/eCzsct4B

September is #HungerActionMonth! The Feeding America network is calling on everyone to take one million actions against hunger. Every action counts – whether you donate, advocate, volunteer or spread the word online. Let’s end hunger together. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gM84NsUg

Hannah Conner and Joey Soto began pursuing their lifelong dream of growing and sharing fresh, healthy produce in 2019 by renting sections of other people’s farms. As first-generation farmers, they found it difficult to secure a plot of land to call their own. But that changed three years ago when they moved to their permanent home in Cream Ridge, thanks to a Community Supported Agriculture member who was looking to sell her property. Today, Ramblin Sol Farm is Certified Organic, Certified Real Organic, and produces more than 50 different crops – everything from eggplants to tomatoes to leafy greens. Through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA), a statewide, USDA-funded program that CFBNJ administers, Ramblin Sol provides 100 fresh produce boxes per week to three Fulfill partner pantries. CFBNJ uses LFPA funds from the NJDA to buy food from socially disadvantaged farmers and producers for distribution in underserved communities in all 21 New Jersey counties. "Providing food for pantries is meaningful because we knew when we started the farm that we wanted to make our food accessible to everyone,” Hannah and Joey told us. They also appreciate the boost that LFPA has given their business. “LFPA has helped us answer some of the financial questions we've had. Our biggest challenge right now is stability,” they said. “We love growing food, but the logistics of getting the food to the right people are complicated, so LFPA is really helping us out with that.” Thanks to the financial benefits that LFPA provides, Hannah and Joey were able to hire their very first employees – local people with lots of experience farming. “We want to keep our employees coming back every year,” they said. “We want them to rise with us because they're really important to us. They're making this whole operation function.” Hannah and Joey have big dreams for Ramblin Sol’s future. They hope to develop a succession plan and put one of their employees into a management position so that the farm will stay productive and feed the neighborhood for a long time to come. Ramblin Sol is part woman-owned and part Latino-owned, and Hannah and Joey are excited that LFPA is working to put socially disadvantaged farmers on the map. "LFPA is creating this unique opportunity where we can help others that are less represented in the agricultural community to be able to contribute to the food system so that we can really have a healthy, thriving local food economy,” they shared.

??? Join us for a virtual discussion with CFBNJ President & CEO Elizabeth McCarthy! On Tuesday, September 17 at 12 pm, CFBNJ will host a live Zoom webinar about our impact in 2024 and strategic outlook in 2025. You'll have a chance to ask any questions you may have. Registration is not required. Just save this link to attend: https://lnkd.in/eHXYRK7M

Imagine your life as a story told long after you're gone. What would people say is your legacy? August is National Make a Will Month. Join Certified Financial Planner, Emerging Leaders member, and Chair of CFBNJ's Planned Giving Committee, Matt Filik, to answer some fun and informative true or false questions about estate planning. Ready to make a planned gift to CFBNJ? Visit cfbnj.planmylegacy.org to learn more.

"If you are blessed to have food on your table and want to help others in your community, consider getting involved in a nonprofit or food bank. Or, if you are looking for food or resources for yourself, a family member or a friend, consider the following." Thank you to our friend Steve Adubato for mentioning CFBNJ in his article in this month's issue of New Jersey Monthly Magazine!

Last week, CFBNJ staff gathered together for a team retreat in at Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch to have a fun day in the sun!?? Team members relaxed, ate, and participated in a variety of activities, including beach volleyball, yoga, painting, and so much more. ??? Want to be a part of a fun team and have a fulfilling career? CFBNJ is hiring in multiple departments across the organization. Employees receive medical, dental, vision, and mental health benefits, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and 401k matching. Apply at cfbnj.org/careers. #TalentTuesday

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the state’s largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization, has received a $100,000 grant from Bank of America, it announced Wednesday. The grant will provide general operating support for the organization, which aims to end food insecurity in a state where nearly 1 million people are food-insecure, including more than 260,000 children. CFBNJ serves 15 of the state’s 21 counties through food distribution and support services. Read more: