11/19/21

It was announced yesterday by New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher that six food banks throughout the state will receive $10 million in new aid.  The money is from the American Rescue Plan State Fiscal Recovery Fund and will be allocated through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).  It will be in addition to the $35 million distributed to food banks through the COVID Relief Fund and the money distributed through food and hunger programs that were part of the Murphy administration’s pandemic response.

TEFAP currently serves almost one million in the state per month, on average.  It is a federal program that helps to supplement the diets of low-income residents by providing emergency food assistance at zero cost.  In New Jersey, TEFAP is handled and distributed by the Department of Agriculture, ensuring that all necessary foods are spread among its 21 counties.  New Jersey currently receives over 20 million pounds of TEFAP foods annually from the USDA.  Food insecure residents of the state receive over 70 different food items as a result.

Six emergency feeding organizations will receive the new funds.  Amounts given to each will be determined by the number of people they serve.  They are as follows:

Community Food Bank of New Jersey– $5.3 million

Food Bank of South Jersey– $1.5 million

Fulfill– $1.5 million

Mercer Street Friends– $1.1 million

NORWESCAP– $300,000

Southern Regional Food Distribution Center– $300,000

For more information, visit: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/press/2021/approved/press211112.html