Neighbor News
Summer Food Sites Help Hungry NJ Kids
Community FoodBank of New Jersey's Summer Sites Serve Children Across the State
HILLSIDE, NJ – Summer is the toughest season for the nearly one in five New Jersey children facing hunger. It’s a time when they don’t receive the school breakfasts and lunches they rely on.
Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey kids depend on the food they get at school; 700,000 receive school lunch and 300,000 participate in the school breakfast program. That’s why summer food programs are so important for kids in need.
Community FoodBank of New Jersey works with its partner charities to provide these children with breakfast and lunch through the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program. With 37 sites across New Jersey currently confirmed, the FoodBank will serve children from June 27 through August 26, expecting to provide nearly 180,000 meals.
Find out what's happening in Newarkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
But when it comes to summer food programs, only 19 percent of low-income kids receive the meals they need. To close the nutrition gap children face during the summer months, Community FoodBank of New Jersey is increasing its reach among the state’s food insecure children.
“For hundreds of thousands of our neighbors, summer is not a time of sun and fun,” said FoodBank President & CEO Debra Vizzi. “It is a time of stress and fear, as they wonder how they will feed their children. When the school breakfasts and lunches they rely on stop, a new struggle against hunger begins. What should be a carefree time turns into the most vulnerable time of the year for the nearly one in five New Jersey children facing hunger – a harsh reality that is hard to fathom.”
Find out what's happening in Newarkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
ABOUT CFBNJ: Community FoodBank of New Jersey, a member of Feeding America, distributes food to more than 1,000 partner charities including pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, mobile pantries, and child and senior feeding programs. The FoodBank distributes more than 44 million pounds of food a year, and more than 4.7 million times a year, someone in need is fed by Community FoodBank of New Jersey's network of partner charities. Community FoodBank of New Jersey's mission is to fight hunger in New Jersey by assisting those in need and seeking long-term solutions. We will empower all sectors of society in this battle.
CONTACT:
- Julia Kathan, Director of Public Relations and Communications, jkathan@cfbnj.org / 908-242-3945
- Mary Faddoul, Communications Specialist,mfaddoul@cfbnj.org / 908-355-3663, ext. 282
