2 Nonprofits In Greater Morristown Receive Grants From NJEDA

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) is awarding grants totaling $17.5 million to 30 nonprofit organizations in the state as part of an initiative to support New Jersey restaurants and families in need.

Through the NJEDA's Sustain & Serve NJ program, two nonprofits based in the Morristown area will receive funds as part of this initiative.

The first organization is Power Changes Lives, whose mission is to help low-income, minority, and underserved communities build sustainable futures by eliminating disparities in aging, education, family wellness, food insecurity, homelessness, housing, social justice and reform.

The second is Newark Working Kitchens (Community Foundation of New Jersey), which is headquartered in Morristown and aims to mobilize local restaurants that were hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic to prepare nutritious meals for low-income seniors, families and people who are homeless.

According to the NJEDA, Sustain & Serve NJ provides grants to nonprofit organizations to support the purchase of meals from NJ restaurants impacted by COVID-19 and the distribution of those meals at no cost to the recipient.

The additional $17.5 million in awards announced last week brings total program funding to $52.5 million.

“Sustain & Serve NJ has become a national model for addressing food insecurity, supporting small businesses that are the heartbeat of our downtowns, and providing funding to the nonprofit entities that deliver vital services,” Acting Governor Sheila Y. Oliver said. “Combatting hunger remains a top priority and it is more critical than ever that nonprofits have the resources they need to feed the people within their communities.”

Sustain & Serve NJ began as a $2 million pilot program to help restaurants affected by COVID-19 during the pandemic and has grown to a $50 million program that continues to bring much-needed food to people across the Garden State, according to the NDEDA.

Since Feb. 2021, Sustain & Serve NJ has provided grants totaling $35 million to support the purchase of more than 3.5 million meals from over 400 restaurants in all 21 counties.

Governor Phil Murphy has allocated $10 million from the federal American Rescue Plan for Phase 3 of Sustain & Serve NJ, along with approximately $7.5 million in state funding. This latest phase's funding is expected to support the purchase of an additional 1.5 million meals, NDEDA said.

“We have an obligation to aid our fellow New Jerseyans who face food insecurity every single day. Nonprofit organizations and restaurants are critical allies in that mission and supporting them is an important part of our commitment to eradicating hunger, creating jobs, and fueling the economic growth and security of our state,” NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan said.

The NJEDA also aims to eliminate food deserts in the state, as well as bolster the state's child care sector. In addition, The NJEDA is working with partners statewide to create a Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center in Trenton as part of First Lady Tammy Murphy's Nurture NJ initiative to make New Jersey the safest and most equitable place to give birth in the country.

Power Changes Lives has a number of projects that have been used to assist underserved communities in the surrounding areas. "LavaLove," a 29-foot custom-built mobile hygiene trailer outfitted with three shower-restroom facilities, a washing machine and dryer, a barber chair, and a community resource room, is one of those projects.

You can learn more about their work on their website.