Students Change Hunger Interview With Elizabeth McCarthy of CFBNJ
Last week was Students Change Hunger Radio Week and I got to speak to so many wonderful people. I did a Students Change Hunger Interview With Elizabeth McCarthy of CFBNJ. The Community Food Bank of New Jersey has some amazing people that are part of their team and it was great to hear what insight she had on the current state of hunger in New Jersey. There really are some staggering statistics! Students Change Hunger runs through January. So although this post is a few days late, it’s still important and timely.
Elizabeth McCarthy is the President and CEO of the wonderful Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Take a look at some of the stats below:
Nearly 1 million people in New Jersey are food insecure, about 1 in 9, including over 260,000 children, about 1 in 8.
- Overall, this is a 22% increase over last year. For kids, it’s a 33% increase.
- This staggering increase is due to the expiration of pandemic-related federal safety nets, inflation and rising food prices, and the failure of wages to keep up with the cost of living, which is particularly high in New Jersey.
- This staggering increase is due to the expiration of pandemic-related federal safety nets, inflation and rising food prices, and the failure of wages to keep up with the cost of living, which is particularly high in New Jersey.
Food insecurity exists in all 21 New Jersey counties. Hunger can affect anyone at any time.
What does CFBNJ do? Check this out!
We are the source of nourishing food for pantries serving more than half the state — people ranging from infants to college students, families to seniors.
We distribute enough food for more than 90 million meals annually, about 76% of which is highly nutritious “food to encourage.”
Our comprehensive approach addresses the root causes of hunger through nutrition support, job training and certification, farm partnerships, and policies that nurture all New Jerseyans.
We take a whole-person approach to hunger and poverty.
Listen to my chat with Elizabeth Below. She was another sweet, passionate, and dedicated member of the CFBNJ……and they seem to have so many people who have those traits helping them!