Community Story

New Jersey’s Statewide Commitment to Food Security

Food systems

Jackie Bavaro

Program Manager, New Jersey Food Security Initiative

LaMonika Jones

Director of State Initiatives, Food Research & Action Center

Published

December 3rd, 2024

When it comes to ensuring communities support health, residents know what they need—and what they don’t. That’s why local and state leaders in New Jersey are working with residents to improve their access to healthy foods.

New Jersey is the only state in the country with an official Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) in the state office. Leaders there are working to understand the aspirations communities have and the challenges they face in accessing healthy food.

Executive Director Mark Dinglasan regularly visits with and listens to service providers in communities and local public agencies to learn more about residents’ goals and needs. What he learns is then used to shape the state’s efforts to improve access to healthy food.

The New Jersey Food Security Initiative (NJFSI), funded by RWJF, is another example of how the state is proactively seeking input from residents to make nutritious foods more available in every community. When the project launched in 2021, its initial effort was to conduct an assessment to better understand the challenges of hunger in New Jersey and the solutions communities were already implementing to address it. 

A critical part of that assessment involved engaging residents who had experienced hunger and poverty in sharing their insights. During the process, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), which manages NJFSI, conducted more than 150 interviews with local residents as well as New Jersey based experts in food retail, healthcare, emergency food assistance, transportation, academia, early care and education, anti-hunger advocacy, economic development, social services, waste management, state agencies, government, and more.

This map illustrates the New Jersey Food Security Initiative Grantees and Al-Munir Farms locations. The following labels and details are included: New Jersey Food Security Initiative Grantees: 1. Statewide: - City Green - RWJBarnabas Health Foundation 2. Atlantic City: - Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces 3. Morris County: - nourish.NJ 4. Passaic County: - CUMAC Al-Munir Farms: 1. Newark: - Jannah on Grafton - Eden’s Farm The map uses color-coded dots to indicate the locations of these grantees and farms across the state.

“Hearing directly from community members has been critical to making this work successful. Spending time with residents and listening to their ideas and suggestions has meant that our approach benefits from their experiences and their expertise. Our hope is that this work will have the staying power it needs to make a real impact.”

Jackie Bavaro, NJFSI Program Manager

Gathering broad and deep input from so many residents and agencies was essential for shaping the overall strategic approach to break down barriers driving inequity. In 2024, the initiative launched its first group of seven grants—including two core partner grants to OFSA and Hunger Free New Jersey—funding local organizations pursuing a range of different approaches:

City Green: A community-based farming organization working to expand the statewide Good Food Bucks Program and to make it accessible to more New Jersey SNAP participants.

Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces: This nonprofit addresses food insecurity in Atlantic City, including by conducting surveys to understand residents’ food needs, engaging community members, and building local partnerships.

CUMAC: As part of the Passaic County Food Security Collaborative, this nonprofit hires from the community and partners with families to help them enroll in SNAP and apply for other benefits, provide healthy groceries, and distribute food donations.

nourish.NJ: This nonprofit works to improve access to SNAP and WIC benefits for underserved communities in Morris County.

RWJBarnabas Health Foundation: This project represents the first statewide effort to embed SNAP Navigators—professionals who assist with questions and applications for SNAP benefits—directly into the healthcare setting.

NJ Office of the Food Security Advocate: This grant aims to improve food security, nutrition, and health equity for New Jersey residents through the implementation of a strong, sustainable, and permanent Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, known as Summer EBT.

Hunger Free New Jersey: This nonprofit works to connect more New Jersey families with federal nutrition programs, including SNAP, school meals, CACFP, and Summer EBT.

The vision is that the collective effort of these groups will help improve access to healthy food across the state in ways that are responsive to the voices and needs of each community.