New Jersey is accelerating $42.5 million in emergency grants to food banks across the state as federal SNAP benefits will stop Nov. 1. The suspension threatens to leave hundreds of thousands of residents without critical food assistance.
The state is fast-tracking Food and Hunger grants to six major Emergency Food Organizations. including the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Fulfill, and the Food Bank of South Jersey. Officials said the grants will help food banks respond to the surge in demand caused by the federal government’s decision to halt SNAP benefits, despite $6 billion in contingency funds.
Nearly half of New Jersey’s 800,000 SNAP recipients are children. About one in three are people with disabilities, and roughly one in five are seniors. Among the six organizations, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey will receive $22.5 million. Fulfill and the Food Bank of South Jersey will get $6.375 million each, Mercer Street Friends Food Bank $4.675 million, and Norwescap and the Southern Regional Food Distribution Center $1.275 million each.
Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Nick Scutari, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin announced the grants Thursday. The state also joined a multistate lawsuit challenging the USDA’s suspension of SNAP funding.
“Food banks are on the front lines combating food insecurity,” Murphy said. “Accelerating this funding ensures they have the resources to meet community needs during this time of uncertainty.”
Scutari said the grants maintain a “nutritional lifeline” for young families, seniors, and people with disabilities. Coughlin noted that emergency food organizations connect local farms with families who need food most.
Residents can locate local food pantries and community kitchens by calling NJ 211. The Department of Agriculture and the Office of Food Security will oversee the grants, and officials will continue monitoring the shutdown’s impact on food security.
The accelerated grants help New Jersey keep food banks operating and maintain access to both fresh and non-perishable foods across all 21 counties. Children in households receiving SNAP automatically qualify for free school meals, and WIC benefits for dual-enrolled families will continue through the end of November. Officials said the grants address the immediate surge in need caused by the federal suspension while minimizing disruptions to households.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.