Thirty nonprofit organizations were awarded grants totaling $17.5 million by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority in Phase 3 of its successful Sustain & Serve NJ program.
Sustain & Serve NJ provides eligible entities with grants to support the purchase of meals from New Jersey restaurants that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and the distribution of those meals at no cost to recipients. The additional $17.5 million in awards announced today brings total program funding to $52.5 million.
Since February 2021, Sustain & Serve NJ has already supported the purchase of more than 3.5 million meals from over 400 restaurants in all 21 counties with grants totaling $35 million. Funding from this latest phase is expected to support the purchase of an additional 1.5 million meals.
“Throughout the pandemic, Gov. (Phil) Murphy has challenged us to employ innovative methods for supporting businesses, nonprofits and New Jerseyans in need, and Sustain & Serve NJ has been a tremendous asset in helping us meet that goal,” EDA CEO Tim Sullivan said.
“We have an obligation to aid our fellow New Jerseyans who face food insecurity every single day. Nonprofit organizations and restaurants are critical allies in that mission and supporting them is an important part of our commitment to eradicating hunger, creating jobs and fueling the economic growth and security of our state.”
Sullivan noted that Sustain & Serve NJ is a key part of the EDA’s efforts to strengthen the economic security of all New Jerseyans. The Authority is putting forth a multipronged strategy to eliminate food deserts within the state and to bolster the child care sector, an industry whose critical importance was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NJEDA is also working with partners statewide to create a Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center in Trenton as part of first lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative to make New Jersey the safest and most equitable place to give birth in the country.
Tara Colton, the EDA’s executive vice president of economic security, said real economic prosperity can only be achieved when everyone’s needs are being addressed, including the most basic need for food security.
“Sustain & Serve NJ grantees are extraordinary nonprofit organizations who are committed to feeding their neighbors and supporting their communities with respect and dignity,” she said.
The EDA anticipates making awards to the following nonprofit organizations. Those with an asterisk are new to the program:
- A Need We Feed Inc. (Jackson)
- All Access Community Development Corp.* (Hackensack)
- AtlantiCare Foundation (Egg Harbor)
- Chef Lou’s Army (Manasquan)
- Newark Working Kitchens – Community Foundation of NJ (Morristown)
- Congregation Bnos Devorah (Lakewood)
- Eva’s Village* (Paterson)
- Fulfill (Neptune)
- Front Line Appreciation (Short Hills)
- HealthBarn Foundation (Lyndhurst)
- HMH Hospitals Corp. (Edison)
- Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy (Livingston)
- Meals on Wheels of Mercer County (Ewing)
- Metuchen Downtown Alliance (Metuchen)
- Mid-Atlantic States Career and Education Center (Pennsville)
- Morristown Rotary Club (Morristown)
- N.J. Chaplains Association* (Lakewood)
- N.J. Farmers’ Cooperative (Cape May)
- Our Community Dinner Table (South Hackensack)
- Power Changes Lives (Morris Plains)
- Rescue Mission of Trenton (Trenton)
- Share My Meals (Princeton)
- Soup Kitchen 411 (Hightstown)
- Toni’s Kitchen (Montclair)
- TASK: Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (Trenton)
- Cliffside Park Hall of Fame Foundation (Cliffside Park)
- Foundation for University Hospital (Newark)
- The Summit Foundation (Summit)
- Family Food Relief of N.J.* (Lakewood)
