As the holidays approach, food drives remind the community that local families are struggling to afford meals. This year, however, the need is more acute than ever.
In fact, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey has reported that the number of New Jerseyans struggling with hunger is projected to rise by 56% as a direct result of COVID-19, with every county in the state seeing a rise in food insecurity—including counties in northern New Jersey.
How are nonprofits that feed the hungry dealing with the increase in demand and the challenges created by COVID-19? On November 12 from noon to 1 p.m., Impact 100 Garden State will host a virtual panel on “Food Insecurity in Our Communities: Help and Hope” to discuss these issues with leaders of four area organizations.
Impact 100 Garden State, an all-women organization for collective giving, has provided significant grants to each of the nonprofit groups featured on the panel. Impact 100 Garden State members live or work in Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Union counties. Prospective members and other interested parties can receive a link to the virtual meeting by by writing to RSVP@impact100gardenstate.org.
The panelists for the event are:
Mark Dinglasan, Executive Director, CUMAC, an anti-hunger organization in Passaic County. The number of people CUMAC has served more than doubled this year.
Julie Hess, Volunteer Coordinator at nourish.NJ, a food program and outreach based in Morristown. As the pandemic spread, nourish.NJ pivoted quickly from providing in-person to remote social services. The group serves an average of 100 takeaway meals each day, distributes groceries to 50 people daily and delivers food and household items to another 150 households.
Julie Kinner, Director, Recipient Relations and Community Affairs at Table to Table, a food-rescue organization covering Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties. Table to Table had planned to deliver 27 million meals in 2020. By mid-October, it had already delivered 30 million.
Chip Paillex, President and Founder, America’s Grow-A-Row, an organization that plants, rescues and delivers free, fresh produce throughout New Jersey. America’s Grow-a-Row redoubled its efforts to meet the need and fed a record 60,000 people each day throughout its 16-week growing season.
To learn more about Impact 100 Garden State and how its grants make a significant difference to local nonprofits, visit www.impact100gardenstate.org or write to info@impact100gardenstate.org.
The Community Foundation of New Jersey is pleased to host four Impact 100 groups – Impact 100 Garden State, Impact100 Essex, Impact 100 Jersey Coast, and Impact 100 South Jersey – which have brought together a combined 1,100 New Jersey women to make more than $3.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations to date. These Impact 100 groups share our “multiplier effect” philosophy as evidenced by the volume and, indeed, impact of their giving. To discuss the ways in which the Community Foundation of New Jersey can host these types of philanthropic initiatives, contact us at 973-267-5533.