Englewood, NJ (March 5, 2021) – Center for Food Action (CFA) and Interfaith Roundtable partners, St. Paul’s Church (Englewood) and New Hope Baptist Church (Hackensack) hosted two emergency food pop-up distributions this past Saturday, February 27, 2021, to help local families experiencing food insecurity.

CFA has been holding drive-through food distributions at their five pantries since the pandemic began, distributing just over 122,000 emergency food packages in 2020. The emergency pop-ups give working families one more option for assistance when they are not able to reach CFA during the week.

“We deeply appreciate the opportunity to support CFA in getting much-needed food and supplies to families on the weekend,” said Kai Alston, Director of Christian Education St. Paul’s Church. “This increases access to critical resources for people who cannot pick them up mid-day during the workweek. This is a meaningful way for us to serve our community.”

“As many are experiencing difficult and dark times during this pandemic, our church is committed to being a beacon of light and new hope to those who are often forgotten,” explained Rev. Dr. Drew Kyndall Ross, Senior Pastor New Hope Baptist Church. “We believe that our faith calls us to follow the mission of Christ by feeding those who find themselves in need of food. It is such a joy to be able to do outreach with the Center for Food Action.”

“Being able to partner with houses of worship and expand our reach on weekends in northern New Jersey helps CFA accomplish part of our mission, which is to provide a level of certainty for those people facing food insecurity,” stated CFA Interfaith Roundtable Chairperson, Nicole Davis, “These partnerships are integral to meeting the needs of our community at large.”

Saturday’s emergency pop-ups provided 150 families with more than two tons of non-perishables, milk, and fresh produce.