Wine Down to Fight Hunger & Homelessness
One of two Americans are now poor or low-income
CNN Video: Ample Harvest supports CFA and other area pantries
USDA Unveils Historic Improvements to Meals Served in America's Schools
Leonia launches CFA Weekend Snack Pack Program
Thank you to NY Giant Antrel Rolle for his donation time and finances to help local children in need.
Pictured: Antrel Rolle surrounded by volunteers, CFA Board members and CFA staff who made it possible to bring cheer to 35 families during the holidays.
=The Ron & Stacey Gutfleish Foundation recently made a generous gift to CFA to honor the memory of Charotte Gutfleish
=CFA would like to thank the Feinstein Foundation Giveaway Challenge to Fight Hunger and to all of those who participated in this very important event.
This graph represents our neighbors in need who come to CFA for help.
The Record: Poverty is Spreading
The food spoiled. That was one consequence of the freak snowstorm that hit the area just days ago. Fallen tree branches knocked out the electricity, which cut off refrigeration. Unlucky residents ate what food they could rescue, threw out the rest and bought more.
They were the lucky unlucky residents. The unlucky unlucky residents didn't have enough money in their wallets to replace what was lost. So they did without any fresh or frozen food, or visited an already overburdened food pantry.
Hunger has always been an unwelcome guest in North Jersey. But in recent years, with the flat-lining economy, the high rate of joblessness, the rising cost of food and massive floods and snowstorms, hunger and poverty are taking up residence. Even in Bergen County, traditionally considered an affluent suburb of New York. The latest census data reveal that the county poverty rate hit 6.8 percent last year, a 75 percent increase from 20 years ago.
Patricia Espy, executive director of the Center for Food Action in Englewood told The Record, "We're at a point where we so desperately need food that anything that puts stress on the system is a problem."
The storm put stress on the system. So to meet demand, food pantries are reaching into their winter supplies, which will mean dwindling stock down the road, Staff Writer Harvy Lipman reports.
CUMAC, a food pantry in Paterson, was itself a victim of the snowstorm. Heavy ice damaged the warehouse roof, causing thousands of dollars of needed repairs. Even before the storm CUMAC was struggling to help clients who were reeling from the severe flooding.
Thanksgiving is traditionally the time to donate food to pantries and families in need. Summer should be that time also, since children do not eat lunch or breakfast at school, and families feel the pinch. But now, after the snowstorm, after the floods, with a stubbornly bad economy and a persistent 9 percent unemployment rate, now is the time to donate, too.
Please give what food you can, to help out neighbors and strangers, working families, single parents and elderly couples. No one wants to ask for food. Often people go hungry before admitting they need help. Any small donation will be greatly appreciated.
To donate to the Center for Food Action, visit cfanj.org or call 201-321-3142. To donate to the Office of Concern food pantry at St. Cecilia's Church in Englewood, please call 201-568-1465. CUMAC accepts food drop-offs, but please call 973-742-5518 to make an appointment, or donate online at cumacecho.org.