New model of partnerships making a difference.

Businesses, community, and elected officials come together against food insecurity.

PARAMUS, NJ – Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Assemblywoman Lisa Swain, Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, Assemblyman Christopher Tully, Assemblywoman Shama Haider, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco, County Commissioner Tracy Zur, M&T Bank, Glass Gardens Shop Rite, and volunteers came together for a press conference Tuesday morning at Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey to recognize and celebrate the successful completion of Federation’s March Mega Food Drive and underscore the continual need for better support and funding to combat food insecurity in New Jersey.

Working with March Mega Food Drive volunteers and M&T Bank and Glass Gardens Shop Rite, Federation collected over 25,000 lbs. of food to donate to organizations fighting hunger across the Bergen, Hudson, Passaic region.

“Year after year, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey has brought people together to pitch in to help thousands of families dealing with food insecurity. Hunger is an issue that’s close to my heart. We have enacted historic increases in funding for relief and improved the coordination of public and private sector efforts. It’s heartwarming to see the benefits to communities across the state. None of our neighbors should go hungry,” noted Craig Coughlin, Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly at the event.

Jewish Federation realized that to properly address the food insecurity challenge, we needed to implement two approaches. One is to continue collecting and distributing food which addresses the “here and now”. The other is to aggressively work with elected officials to pass legislation that addresses this critical need for the long term.

“Thank you to the team at the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey for the tireless hours it took to organize this project and make it a reality — emphasizing arevut — a core Jewish value that guides us to care for our communities and help make them better places to live and raise a family for all,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “In Congress, I’ve been working to make sure we’re addressing food insecurity. It’s been a major priority of mine since day one. I’m especially dedicated to making sure that no child in New Jersey ever has to sit in a classroom, hungry, worried about their next meal, instead of the textbook in front of them.”

In 2020, the US Department of Agriculture estimated that 657,320 people in New Jersey were food insecure.1 The percentage rates of food insecure households Hudson (12.2%) and Passaic (12%) are among the highest in the state and make up two of the three counties that Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey covers.2 According to both data and anecdotal evidence from Federation partners, like Jewish Family Children Services and the Bergen County Hunger Taskforce, the need for better food and nutritional resources continues to grow.

Jason Shames, CEO of Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey closed out the morning observing, “It was clear after hearing from all of the speakers today that food insecurity remains one of the critical and growing needs in our community. Our efforts to help those who are food insecure is a herculean task. This event was able to highlight important partnerships: our determined and growing volunteer team, our honorable elected officials who work for our communities, and our businesses who form important partnerships with us on these issues so that we can continue to do the work we do.”

Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey is dedicated to preserving, fostering, and securing a vibrant local Jewish community for today and beyond. We provide leadership, vision, guidance, and the resources necessary to help those in need. Working collaboratively with donors, volunteers, and other organizations, we are transforming lives together.