Bergen County Office of Food Security Announces 2023 Awards for Food Pantry Sustainability Grant Program

Hackensack, NJ – County Executive Jim Tedesco, the Board of County Commissioners, and the Bergen County Office of Food Security are excited to announce awards for the 2023 Food Security Task Force Sustainability Grant Program, following passage of resolution 1373-23 by the Bergen County Board of Commissioners. Awards were approved for 56 organizations from across Bergen County, totaling a disbursement of over $630,000 of American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars.

“Given the persistent issue of food insecurity affecting residents in Bergen County, strategic investments, such as those facilitated by the Food Pantry Sustainability Award, remain vital for our community collaborators in tackling this issue," said County Executive Jim Tedesco. "The latest infusion of funds will empower 56 organizations throughout Bergen County to address the growing need for food in our communities, strengthening their capacity to deliver nourishing meals and essential supplies to individuals facing hardships.”

"The Food Pantry Sustainability Grant Program has been a critical investment in the resilience of our food pantries, providing much-needed infrastructure to those working to end hunger in Bergen County," said Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur. "This is our largest grant distribution yet; a testament to the ongoing need, and Bergen County's commitment to ensuring our food pantries are equipped with essentials such as refrigeration, storage, and technology."

The Food Pantry Sustainability Grant Program, which has awarded over $1.5 million in ARP dollars across three rounds of applications, provides critical funding for targeted investments in infrastructure improvements, technological improvements, and weatherization improvements for organizations that operate a food pantry, a hot meal distribution, or provide food delivery services for Bergen County residents in need. Some of the most requested items in this round of awards included new refrigerators and freezers, shelving and prep tables, computers, laptops and tablets, and heaters, tents and canopies for outdoor food distributions.

With food insecurity still affecting so many of our neighbors in Bergen County, these investments in our network of emergency food providers are more important than ever. The items funded by the Food Pantry Sustainability Grant will help organizations continue to meet the needs they see in their communities, and also help them receive fresher and healthier food items for clients, bring pantry operations into the 21st century through digitization of client and inventory management, and ensure pantry operations and food distributions can occur year-round and in all weather.

The following organizations are set to receive Office of Food Security sustainability awards after last night’s public meeting:

All Access Community Development Corporation                                                         

Annie Clyde Holt Food Pantry                                                                                                  

Bergen Family Center                                                                                                                

Bergen Volunteers                                                                                                                       

Borough of Elmwood Park - Residents Assistance Program                                       

Borough of Hasbrouck Heights                                                                                               

Borough of Old Tappan                                                                                                             

Calvary Baptist Church                                                                                                               

Center for Food Action- Englewood                                                                                     

Center for Food Action- Mahwah                                                                                           

Christ Episcopal Church/Faith Hope and Love Food Pantry                                        

Church of the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady                                                               

CONNEX4NPO A NJ NONPROFIT CORPORATION                                                            

Cresskill Cares a NJ Nonprofit                                                                                                

CSBC Mom’s Food Pantry                                                                                                         

Disabled Combat Veterans Youth Program                                                                       

Englewood Neighborhood Pantry a Nonprofit Corp.                                                    

Epiphany Community Food Pantry                                                                                       

Evangel Christian Church                                                                                                           

Families for Families                                                                                                                  

Felician University                                                                                                                       

Food & Assistance Board of Closter                                                                                     

Franciscan Community Development Center of Fairview                                           

Grace Episcopal Church Rutherford                                                                                     

Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Glen Rock                                                                      

HealthBarn Foundation                                                                                                             

Iglesia Adventista – SDA Church                                                                                             

Jewish Family & Children's Services of Northern New Jersey (JFCS)                      

Meadowlands YMCA – Russo Family Food Pantry                                                         

Mount Calvary Baptist Church                                                                                                 

Never Alone Again Resource Center                                                                                    

Norwood Food Pantry                                                                                                                 

Office of Concern Food Pantry                                                                                               

Open Door Community Center                                                                                               

Our Community Dinner Table                                                                                                 

Paramus Friendly Neighbors / Paramus Community Pantry                                      

Parkside Community Church                                                                                                   

Ponds Food Pantry                                                                                                                       

Ramapo College of New Jersey / We Care Program                                                      

Ridgewood Senior Citizens Housing Corporation, Inc.                                                   

Rutherford Community Pantry Inc.                                                                                      

Sacred Heart Church                                                                                                                    

Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity                                                  

St. Andrew’s RC Church                                                                                                              

St. Anne's Food Pantry                                                                                                            

St. Francis de Sales Food Pantry                                                                                             

St. John The Evangelist Food Pantry                                                                                    

St. Matthew’s Church                                                                                                                 

Strangers Helping Strangers Food Pantry                                                                          

The Dumont Food Pantry – DCG Cares                                                                                

The Food Brigade Inc.                                                                                                                 

Tri Boro Food Pantry                                                                                                                   

Varick Memorial Food Pantry                                                                                                 

Westwood United Methodist Church                                                                                  

YMCA of Garfield                                                                                                                         

YMCA of Ridgewood  

The Bergen County Food Security Task Force, spearheaded by Commissioner Tracy Zur, was formed in July of 2020 as a response to the skyrocketing need for food and services after the onset of the pandemic. In June of 2023, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco III announced that the Task Force would become the Bergen County Office of Food Security and would have a permanent home in the Bergen County Department of Human Services – serving as resource connector for pantries and their clients, and furthering the goals of creating a resilient and sustainable network of food pantries in Bergen County.