Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue organization, successfully concluded its second annual Partners in Good Health Conference co-sponsored by Montclair State University’s Social Work and Child Advocacy, College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The conference is designed to connect, inform and empower the nonprofit’s partner pantries, social service agencies, shelters and other community partners who distribute the food delivered by Table to Table to communities in need throughout Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Hudson and Morris counties.
“This year, more than ever, Table to Table’s Partners in Good Health Conference has provided our community partners, who are on the frontlines of food security, with much-needed information, best practices and networking focused on food and health outcomes,” said Heather Thompson, executive director, Table to Table. “This year’s interactive format focused on care for ourselves along with care for our communities and invited our partners to share their challenges, experiences and ideas with each other and with state and county leaders — helping to build a stronger support system, which ultimately benefits the health and well-being our neighbors.”
The daylong event, which took place on the university’s campus, featured subject matter experts in the areas of nutrition, emotional resilience and “micro-habit” changes for better health. The afternoon capped off with a town hall discussion led by New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) team members Mark Dinglasan, Dan Dychtwald, Ph.D., MPH, MS and Jemmell’z Washington-Rock, as well New Jersey Assemblywoman Shama D. Haider, who serves as chairwoman for the Assembly Committee on Children, Families, and Food Security.
Sponsors for Table to Table’s Partners in Good Health Conference include: Montclair State University’s Social Work and Child Advocacy, College of Humanities and Social Sciences; ShopRite Inserra Supermarkets Inc.; Horizon; Restoration Technologies/Industrial Maintenance Industries; Affinity Federal Credit Union; Something to Talk About; Dorfman Abrams Music Accountants & Advisors; Bergen County Camera; and Premium Digital Office Solutions.
For more than two and a half decades, New Jersey’s Table to Table has bridged the gap for local neighbors in need by reducing food waste, sustaining those who are struggling and contributing to their better health outcomes by providing a lifeline of nutritious, free food. The organization recognizes the vital role that fresh food plays in nourishing not only the body, but also the spirit and mind.
