newjerseynewsroom.com

The state government is providing $1,363,600 for N.J.’s six food banks to purchase food to hand out during the holiday season, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno announced in Hillside Tuesday.

The State Food Purchase Program aid provides $904,331 for Community FoodBank of New Jersey in Hillside, $178,282 for Food Bank of South Jersey in Pennsauken, $141,667 for the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in Neptune, $59,640 for Mercer Street Friends in Ewing, $50,786 for Southern Regional Food Distribution Center in Vineland, and $28,891 for NORWESCAP in Phillipsburg.

The money is an attempt to ensure food for those in need and is the second round of aid for the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The announcement came as Guadagno, state Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher and state Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary O’Dowd volunteered at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey as part of the Christie administration’s ongoing ‘Season of Service. The Community FoodBank distributes 37 million pounds of food and groceries a year, ultimately serving 1,500 non-profit programs. Through the combined efforts, volunteers assist 900,000 low-income people in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

“This funding comes at a critical time when local emergency feeding agencies are providing holiday meals to the people they serve, in addition to their regular food distributions,” Guadagno said. “But the state can’t do it alone. To tackle the hunger issue, we need members of the community to continue to come forward and donate food items, money and time to help our neighbors in need.”

The state has committed $6,818,000 in 2011-12 for the Department of Agriculture’s State Food Purchase Program, which is allocated on a quarterly basis to food banks to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and other nutritious foods for distribution to their network of more than 700 food pantries, homeless shelters and soup kitchens.

“Hunger continues to be an issue for many New Jersey residents, with emergency feeding operations throughout the state reporting new people coming to them for assistance every day,” Fisher said. The SFPP not only assists the food banks with supplying much-needed food to their local agencies, but that the food has a good nutritional value.”

The amounts allocated to each of the six emergency feeding operations are based on the number of people they serve and other criteria. The first installment of $2,045,400 was distributed to the food banks in July and the remaining fund distributions are slated for February and May 2012.

The Agriculture department also coordinates the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program, which distributes U.S. Department of Agriculture-donated foods to the food banks. During the past year, the department accepted 27 million pounds of federal foods through this program.

“Everyone should have access to healthy and nutritious foods regardless of income,” O'Dowd said. “Even in tough economic times, no one should have to choose between buying food for their family or paying the rent.”

The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is involved in food access through the ShapingNJ partnership of more than 170 organizations throughout New Jersey as well as other initiatives to improve access to fruits and vegetables in communities through farm markets, gardens and incentives for supermarkets to locate in underserved areas and corner stores to offer healthier, affordable food.

For information on the State Food Purchase Program, visit:

www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/fn/fooddistrib/foodpurchaseprogram.html. Visit volunteerism.nj.gov to find ways to donate time or www.endhungernj.org to contribute to New Jersey food banks.

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM