Bergen's The Food Brigade Awarded Over $200,000 In FEMA Funding

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The Food Brigade, Inc. announced it recently received two grants to support its food distribution efforts in Bergen County.

According to a news release, The Food Brigade will receive $201,200 through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP).

"We're very excited that our organization has been chosen to receive these FEMA grants," said Karen DeMarco, President of The Food Brigade. "The funds will help us to feed even more residents of Bergen County who are dealing with food insecurity."

The Food Brigade is based out of Calvary United Methodist Church in Dumont. The organization plans to use this money for distributing food boxes and supermarket gift cards.

"We feel it's a good indicator of the impact our organization has had in the area of food security in Bergen County," DeMarco continued. "Thanks to our incredible volunteers, we've gotten extremely proficient at getting food into the hands of those who need it the most, on a large scale."

Any New Jersey resident in need can apply to become a client of The Food Brigade by visiting https://foodbrigade.org/assistance.

The Food Brigade is partner with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, and holds weekly drive-through food distributions, a food pantry, and more.

"No child should ever have to go to bed hungry, and no one in New Jersey should have to deal with food insecurity, so long as there are resources like ours available", said DeMarco. "We plan to continue to expand our operations in 2022, so that we can reach even more people in need."