CFBNJ Distributed 8,300 Thanksgiving Turkeys, Roasters, & Hams

HILLSIDE, NJ – November 20, 2023

Today at its Hillside warehouse, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) held a large-scale turkey distribution to its partners in Union County, including food pantries and soup kitchens, to provide families in need with special Thanksgiving meals.

Thirty-seven local food assistance organizations received more than 8,300 turkeys, hams, and chicken roasters, along with nearly 2,400 holiday meal kits that include popular fixings like vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, and more.

During the days and weeks ahead, many families across the Garden State will struggle to put holiday meals on the table. In New Jersey, more than 725,000 people are food insecure, including 175,000 children. To make matters more challenging, the cost of food has increased dramatically. Today’s distribution was the largest one of the season and included food collected at CFBNJ’s 23rd Annual Turkey Drive, which took place on Saturday, November 18 and Sunday, November 19 at more than 70 sites across the state.

“Special holiday meals may be out of reach for so many of our neighbors this season. A recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture says that last year, the number of people in the U.S. living in food insecure households saw the largest single-year increase since 2008,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “Hunger hurts even more at Thanksgiving. That’s why our turkey distributions are so central to our mission. Every year, our staff and community partners spend months preparing for turkey time!”

In total throughout the month of November, CFBNJ hosted 12 distributions across the state to provide more than 41,000 turkeys, more than 32,000 roasters, more than 11,000 hams, and over 24,000 holiday meal kits for neighbors in need who might otherwise go without.

CFBNJ gratefully acknowledges support for its holiday food distributions from C&S Wholesale Grocers, Formosa Plastics, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, JPMorgan Chase, McDonald's Owner/Operators Association, Merck, Stop & Shop, Wakefern Food Corp., and countless individuals.

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The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), a member of Feeding America® and the state’s largest anti-hunger organization, has been delivering food, help, and hope across the Garden State for nearly 50 years. Last year, CFBNJ provided nutritious food for over 90 million meals through its network of more than 800 community partners, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, child and senior nutrition programs, and more, serving 11 New Jersey counties directly and four in partnership with affiliate food banks. It also addresses the root causes of food insecurity with supportive services like nutrition education, job training, SNAP outreach, and hygiene product distribution. By delivering neighbor-centered solutions and collaborating with all sectors of society, CFBNJ believes that food insecurity is a solvable problem.