NJ Human Services Distributes $6.3 Million to Boost Senior Nutrition During COVID-19

Funding Will Help Support Home-Delivered Meals and Pre-Packaged Meals for Older Residents

May 1, 2020

New Jersey Department of Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson today announced $6.3 million in funding to the 21 counties to support home delivered meals and other food for older New Jerseyans during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic.

The funding, made available through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), includes support for home-delivered meals and other meals for older residents. The supplemental funding runs through September 30, 2021, and is expected to provide more than 630,000 meals to eligible individuals.

“These dollars are vital to ensuring that counties can meet the increased need and demand for home-delivered and pick-up meals as our older residents follow the Governor’s public health directive to stay at home,” said Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson. “We are grateful to our county office on aging partners who are working tirelessly to help support older residents’ needs at this challenging time. We are moving quickly to provide this funding so that counties are able to help seniors get the food they need.”

“Food access and availability is among the top concerns we hear from older New Jerseyans amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Deputy Commissioner Sarah Adelman. “These crucial funding allocations will help our county partners ensure food security for vulnerable older adults in our communities.”

“The Area Agencies on Aging staff and volunteers are on the front lines in these challenging times and have done a tremendous job in quickly responding to the enormous demand for meals,” said Human Services’ Division of Aging Services Director Louise Rush. “These dollars will support their ongoing mission to keep New Jersey’s older residents healthy during this crisis.”

Nutritional budgets have been stressed since the Coronavirus outbreak. To protect seniors and reduce risk, congregate meal sites across the state closed or switched from dine-in to home delivered or “grab-and-go” meals only and home delivered meals have continued. These new resources will help to support counties in meeting these needs.

Human Services announced the following awards to counties to support home-delivered and other nutrition supports for seniors funded by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act:

• Atlantic: $212,621
• Bergen: $697,250
• Burlington: $281,834
• Camden: $364,554
• Cape May: $88,183
• Cumberland: $110,389
• Essex: $653,421
• Gloucester: $161,261
• Hudson: $539,474
• Hunterdon: $68,569
• Mercer: $255,077
• Middlesex: $564,312
• Monmouth: $398,131
• Morris: $301,969
• Ocean: $475,126
• Passaic: $393,132
• Salem: $53,491
• Somerset: $202,599
• Sussex: $74,400
• Union: $399,285
• Warren: $65,789

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