Food insecurity is rising across the Jersey Shore, with more than 120,000 residents in Monmouth and Ocean counties struggling to put meals on the table, according to Feeding America.
To meet this need, Fulfill, the food bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and member of Feeding America, is breaking ground on a major expansion of its Neptune warehouse and cold storage facilities and announcing its $29 million Path to Plenty Campaign to Fill the Healthy Food Gap. The event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 11 a.m. at Fulfill headquarters at 3300 Route 66 in Neptune.
This warehouse expansion, part of Fulfill’s Path to Plenty Campaign, will increase the distribution capacity by more than 13,000 square feet of warehouse space and nearly 5,000 square feet of cold storage. It will also create a Volunteer Welcome Center. The campaign will also fund the expansion of other Fulfill programs that address the root causes of hunger in our area.
Fulfill said hunger in the region has grown significantly since the pandemic, with the food bank l distributing more food each year to keep up with the demand – over 18 million pounds of food last year alone. The expansion is the largest infrastructure investment for Fulfill in decades and positions the food bank to serve more than 100,000 neighbors more effectively. The announcement marks the public launch of the $29 million “Path to Plenty” campaign to close the healthy food gap.
Scheduled to attend the event are Fulfill President and CEO Triada Stampas, Board Chair Susan Kyrillos, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Edward Wengryn, state Sen. Vin Gopal, and Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone.
Fulfill, the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, has been addressing hunger in the Jersey Shore community since 1984. As a member of Feeding America, Fulfill works with a network of nearly 300 partners, including soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters to provide 1.3 million meals per month to area residents, families, children, seniors and veterans in need.
