They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
– Isaiah 49:10
1 in 12 households in New Jersey
experienced food insecurity in 2020.
What is food insecurity? Food insecurity indicates economic hardship within a household leading to limited access to food and insufficient resources to meet basic human needs. It can have significant effects on health and affects far too many people in New Jersey. To break it down even further:
Approximately 650,000 people in New Jersey face hunger and roughly 175,000 are children – 1 in 11 children face hunger.
Food insecurity can have harsh effects on children, not only creating negative impacts on the ability to develop and learn but also can lead to chronic illness later in life. Simply put, we must do more.
ECS-NJ is part of the solution through its advocacy of Gospel justice and support of these 11 ministries:
- Christ Church in Middletown started a community garden to supplement a local food pantry and will eventually provide hundreds of pounds of healthy produce each year
- Christ Church in New Brunswick joined with two other local food pantries, the city of New Brunswick, and other religious organizations to form the “Choice Food and Resources Center”
- Christ the King in Willingboro provided free meals to children during the summer months using the NJ Summer Meals Program
- St. Augustine’s in Asbury Park’s Sunday Feeding Program has expanded to provide both nutritious, hot meals and bagged lunches
- St. Barnabas-by-the-Bay in Villas will expand the amount, diversity, and freshness of available food pantry choices and offer delivery to homebound seniors
- St. Mary’s Church in Burlington will expand their Ladle of Love food ministry with a new freezer that will hold supplemental options of dairy and protein for their community
- St. Mary’s Church in Clementon expanded The Friends of Clementon Food Pantry, increasing the families served by 40%
- St. Mary’s Church in Stone Harbor helps alleviate a regionally higher rate of food insecurity through The Branches Community Food Bank
- St. James in Bradley Beach now sources fresh products weekly from local vendors to support the Bradley Food Pantry
- St. Paul’s in Camden provides hot meals to the community and has expanded its capacity to distribute more food items to those in need
- St. Peter’s in Clarksboro will open their Community Food Pantry to expand current food distribution and reach further into underserved and underrepresented segments of the county
As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, here’s how you can be part of the solution too:
- Volunteer at your local food pantry
- Donate food so more families can have healthy options to share around their Thanksgiving tables
- Pray for our ministries tackling food insecurity throughout our Garden State communities