More than a million people in New Jersey, including nearly one in every five kids, face hunger every day. The Community Food Bank of New Jersey reports more than half of their clients have to choose between eating and paying for basic necessities like housing and medicine. The last year was a record breaker for the food bank — it distributed more than 44.5 million pounds of food to more than 1,000 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and feeding programs. Since its inception 40 years ago it’s been run by a visionary leader, Kathleen DiChiara. She’s retiring and being replaced by Debra Vizzi, who joined NJTV News Anchor Mary Alice Williams in studio to talk about food insecurity in New Jersey.
September is Hunger Action Month. Vizzi says that it serves as a reminder that hunger is still an issue, particularly in this state where a million people and 400,000 children are still hungry. “It’s a call to action for all of us to be mindful that people are hungry for us to do more,” she said.
The Food Bank provides toolkits for schools, organizations and communities to become involved and aware of what the issues are. “We have 40,000 volunteers per year that come to the Food Bank doing a variety of things, and this is just another month in which we bring everyone together to charge up the issue,” Vizzi said.
She says the highest food insecurity rates in New Jersey are primarily in south Jersey, where there’s been a shift in casinos and unemployment rates are up. Additionally, Essex County has a “staggeringly high” number in regards to the rest of the state. She says one of the biggest challenges for families is combating the feeling of shame. “‘How do I ask for help? Where do I go for help?’ The typical family today, the staggering realities are that to be a minimum wage worker and to have to work three jobs in order to make a modest rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is really astonishing. Having to make choices about eating and feeding families with those kinds of parameters around your income are really tough,” Vizzi said.
The Food Bank partners with over 1,000 charities throughout the state to provide food through pantries, shelter, emergency food kitchens. Vizzi says there’s, “a variety of ways to get our message out. It’s not only the Community Food Bank’s message, but all of our partners throughout the state that are expressing the very same thing. The mission of the food bank is such that people are really drawn to this very important cause. Last year we have 40000 volunteers walk through our doors — whether it’s individuals, families, corporate volunteers that come to through to help. There’s a lot of help, but we always need more.”
She says that while most people feel the need to give more during the holidays, the summer is really one of the worst times for those facing food insecurity. “[Hunger Action Month] is a reminder of giving and gratitude,” Vizzi said. “Food insecurity is heightened for children in the summer months. This is the time when children don’t have school. They don’t have breakfast. They don’t have lunch. What we’re seeing is children are going to school hungry. That’s a real issue and something that perhaps as the state we forget that kids and seniors in particular in the summer are very vulnerable to food insecurity.”
Former Director Kathleen DiChiara in 2009 recruited Bruce Springsteen to help raise funds when the economy was struggling. When asked about her plans for the future and about following in DiChiara’s footsteps, she said, “Kathleen was a trailblazer, there’s no question, and I feel humbled and honored to follow in her footsteps. I think that while we have wonderful friends to The Community Food Bank, including Bruce Springsteen, we have many, many others. I think what I’m urging people to think about is how they can help. If it’s writing a check, then that’s a wonderful thing. However, you can help in your community by providing food, by letting other people know that kids are hungry and certainly looking at our website and seeing how you can use our materials to educate people around you in schools or in the family. One in five are suffering, so that means that someone in your neighborhood, in your community, is dealing with this very issue.”
Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America is a multi-platform public media initiative that provides a deeper understanding of the impact of poverty on American society. Major funding for this initiative is provided by The JPB Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Ford Foundation.