Whole Foods To Double Cash Donations To Wayne's WIN Food Pantry

WAYNE, NJ — The Wayne Interfaith Network Food Pantry — known throughout the area as WIN — is operating their food pantry while navigating the coronavirus pandemic.

For the pantry, this has meant meeting a higher demand for assistance while taking in fewer donations as families and New Jersey workers face new challenges brought on in the past year.

On Tuesday, Whole Foods Market announced they would be stepping in to help.

The grocery chain opened a location in the township this September, and donated $5,000 to the pantry at the time.

Now, a spokesperson for the company told Patch, Whole Foods will double any cash donation made to the pantry from the community — up to $2,500 — through the food pantry's website, or by check, through Dec. 31.

A representative for the pantry could not immediately be reached for comment.

In a Nov. 20 Patch report, WIN officials said they were serving around 130 clients before the pandemic, but the pantry saw demand for aid jump to record highs of close to 170 clients during the summer as the coronavirus lingered.

READ MORE: In Wayne, WIN Food Pantry Sees More Requests, Fewer Donations

Now, WIN leadership said they're expecting to see another jump in need.

"Many of our clients have been food insecure for a long time and the pandemic made it worse," said co-President Barbara Cohen. "Many others are so far behind in their other bills that our help with food frees them up to try and pay off their bills."

WIN isn't along in seeing a need for assistance jump during the course of the pandemic.

On a Zoom call with Congressman Josh Gottheimer before Thanksgiving, Center For Food Action Communications Director Kelly Sirimoglu said the organization has seen a 50 percent increase in food assistance requests since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Bergen County, County Commissioner Tracy Zur, who is also the Liaison to the Bergen County Food Security Task Force, reported a 71 percent increase in food insecurity.

Zur said about 25,000 families in the county are food insecure, which means about "one in six kids" are dealing with food insecurity.

"Not only is the COVID-19 crisis continuing to ravage our community, it's continuing to exacerbate food insecurity levels across North Jersey as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday this week," said Gottheimer on the call.

Anyone wishing to donate non-perishable food to WIN may do so by appointment only at this time. For more information about WIN, and to see a list of what the pantry needs most, visit www.winfoodpantry.org.

If you'd like to send a check, the pantry asks that they be mailed to Wayne Interfaith Network, PO Box 3341, Wayne NJ 07474-3341.

This story is part of Patch's Headlining Hope series, which profiles local nonprofits and charitable organizations in need of volunteers and resources. If you know of a local organization that should be profiled, contact montana.samuels@patch.com.