Featured Non-Profit
April - June 2025
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), a member of Feeding America®, works to end hunger by distributing food to more than 800 community partners—including food pantries, soup kitchens, and child and senior feeding programs—and by connecting neighbors in need with supportive solutions.
HUNGER IN NEW JERSEY
More than 44 million people in the U.S. are food insecure. Nearly 1,000,000 of them live in New Jersey, including over 260,000 children.
Nearly 675,000 of them reside in CFBNJ’s 15-county service area, including 185,000 children. The majority of households we serve have at least one member with a paying job. Some of our neighbors in need work multiple jobs but still struggle to make ends meet. They often make tough choices - deciding between food and other necessities. Black and Hispanic families, as well as LGBTQ+ individuals, are disproportionately impacted by hunger, facing barriers to economic stability. College students, seniors, and residents of resort towns also face unique challenges that make them more susceptible to food insecurity. Hunger is a major concern for those affected by emergencies, as well. Recently, we have seen pandemics, natural disasters, government shutdowns, and economic downturns increase need (CFBNJ, 2024).
A March 21, 2025 article published in the Press of Atlantic City (sorry, it’s behind a paywall), reported CFBNJ’s president and CEO, Elizabeth McCarthy, said, in regard to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement of the decision to cut the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, which provides funding for food banks to purchase fresh food from local farmers and producers for distribution to neighbors in need:
As CFBNJ administers that program for the State of New Jersey, this means that we will lose our funding to do this important work. We’re deeply disappointed as the cut threatens the livelihoods of hardworking farmers (especially at small farms) and eliminates an important source of healthy local food for food insecure New Jerseyans.
McCarthy went on to state the food bank would lose $9.9 million through 2027, because of these federal cuts.
For these reasons, I have selected The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) as the first Words over Swords Non-Profit of the Quarter.
Beginning April 1, 2025, and continuing through June 30, 2025, all income raised through paid subscriptions to Words over Swords will be donated to CFBNJ. Distribution of the funds will occur no later than one month after the end of the quarter beginning April 1, 2025.
You can learn more about Giving Tzedakah (making a one-time donation), my subscription-based donation model, and my methods for selecting the Non-Profit of the Quarter on my “Give Tzedakah” page.
Learn more about the Community FoodBank of New Jersey at https://cfbnj.org.
References:
Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ). (2024). About us. Retrieved March 23, 2025 from https://cfbnj.org/about-us/
Jackson, V. (March 21, 2025). Community FoodBank celebrates 50th anniversary while being financially threatened. The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 23, 2025 from https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/article_eae100da-0070-11f0-880c-bf34f7368790.html
