RWJ Hospital Somerset, Share My Meals Team Up To Feed Families

SOMERVILLE, NJ — As part of its Social Impact and Community Investment initiatives, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is donating surplus food from its cafeteria to help support families in its community who are experiencing food insecurity.

The hospital is partnering with Share My Meals, a non-profit organization based in Princeton, to deliver the meals to families in need.

"Addressing food insecurity is key to helping promote the health of our community," said Patrick Delaney, Chief Administrative Officer, RWJUH Somerset. "Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of our neighbors have faced financial challenges and struggle to afford food for their families, which impacts their overall health. Working with Share My Meals, we know that our excess meals will not go to waste and will make a difference for families who are food insecure."

Since its founding in 2020, Share My Meals has delivered more than 250,000 meals to more than 1,200 individuals in New Jersey with the help of over 120 volunteers and over 50 meal providers. The group will be picking up surplus meals from RWJUH Somerset twice a week.

"We are so grateful to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset for their partnership, which will enable us to support many more families in the Central New Jersey region," said Hélène Lanctuit, CEO of Share My Meals. "By reducing food waste, we are also helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions and their negative impact on the environment."

To address food insecurity in its community, RWJUH Somerset also donated 1,000 bags of produce to underserved community members in 2023 and donated 485 chickens and turkeys to local food pantries at Thanksgiving.

In addition, as part of its Social Impact and Community Investment initiatives, the hospital held 44 donation drives last year, collecting items such as blankets, diapers and back-to-school supplies, and hospital employees donated grocery store gift cards and holiday gifts through Adopt A Family programs for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The hospital’s Healing Homes initiative offers transitional housing for Somerset County individuals or families who have an illness that caused financial hardship and are unable to afford housing.

RWJUH Somerset partnered with the Players Development Academy last April to open a new mini-turf soccer field in Bound Brook to help promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. The project was also supported by a grant from T-Mobile.

For more information about RWJUH Somerset and its Social Impact and Community Investment initiatives, visit www.rwjbh.org/somerset.

For more information about Share My Meals, visit www.sharemymeals.org.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.