Social service agencies handle demand in SJ, worry what lies ahead
Food insecurity has been rising in southern New Jersey since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, with prices increasing and across-the-board inflation squeezing budgets even tighter.
Social service agencies in the region, ordinarily busy this time of year trying to provide holiday meals and gifts to those in need, as well as take advantage of the spirit of giving to collect donations, are facing a growing list of clients who are struggling worse than ever.
“Food insecurity is in the spotlight during the holiday season when people are feeling generous, but it’s not an issue that goes away after the holidays are done,” Community FoodBank of New Jersey communications manager Nicole Williams said.
The Community FoodBank is the leading anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization in the state. The Southern Branch, located in Egg Harbor Township, addresses the great need in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties, which have the highest rate of child food insecurity in the state.
“About 800,000 people across the state are struggling with food insecurity and about 200,000 of them are children, so the need is great,” Williams said.
She said she expects a difficult winter beyond the holidays, especially after the pandemic tax credits end in the new year. Volunteer numbers also drop off after the holidays, another need for the food bank.
“We might see an increase in need in the new year,” she said. “Monetary donations are most important and make the most impact because every dollar someone gives allows us to provide three meals.”
Nancy Hanslowe, executive director of the Cape May Community Food Closet, said simple household staples such as milk and butter have been priced out of reach for many of her food bank’s clients.
“They’ve seen [increases] not just in food prices, but in their overall spending habits as well,” she said. “We’ve been very fortunate with our wonderful coordinator and generous community, and we are set to do the same in 2021 as we did in 2020.”
The Cape May Community Food Closet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that services Cape May, Cape May Point, West Cape May and Lower Township. Its mission is to distribute groceries to low-income members of the community.
Items the food bank is always in need of include products not covered in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, such as toilet paper, paper products, personal hygiene items and diapers, as well as infant formula, baby food, tuna fish, peanut butter, canned vegetables and canned fruits.
“What we’ve seen change in the pandemic and a little bit beforehand is that we used to have a lot of single adults, and now we’ve increased representation with families with children under age 18 by about 35 percent,” Hanslowe said.
The 30 percent to 40 percent increase in need that started at the beginning of the pandemic has not slackened, Hanslowe said.
“It’s trended pretty steady throughout the year and it’s spiking up,” she said. “It’s one of the trends you’re going to see across the county. The need has not gone down.”
The food bank has been filling grocery bags and delivering them to the parking lot to reduce contact amid the pandemic, but after the holidays will allow fully masked individuals inside while maintaining social distancing. All volunteers wear masks and entrants will be limited.
“This will allow people to have much more of an ability to select their own food,” Hanslowe said.
The Community FoodBank’s Williams agrees with Hanslowe that the cost-of-living increases, especially in food, have made it more difficult for people who are already struggling to put food on the table.
“These [cost increases] have driven up the need for us to maintain more food to meet the needs [of the community],” Williams said. “In New Jersey, the cost of living is up about 6 percent before the pandemic and increases in the food range from 4 (percent) to 7 percent, depending on the area of the state.”
At the same time, Williams said, the food bank is operating with about half the amount of food as in the past, as grocery stores have decreased their donations.
“Between panic buying during the pandemic and supply issues, supermarkets are having trouble keeping their shelves full, so there is less for them to give to us,” Williams said.
The Ocean City Ecumenical Council operates a food cupboard at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, where demand is rising.
“There has been an incremental increase in clients coming into the food cupboard in the past few months,” coordinator Regina Ralston said. “I attribute it to the higher food prices and also that the additional federal and state government allotments have either stopped or been diminished.”
Ralston expects an increase in the need for the food cupboard’s services if the rate of inflation continues at the current pace.
Meeting the demand
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Williams said individuals, companies, and government groups have been keeping pace with monetary donations.
Almond Weech, compassionate ministry director of Seashore Community Church of the Nazarene in the Erma section of Lower Township, said donations have remained steady, including businesses holding food drives.
“Our supplies have been OK for the most part. We really haven’t seen any major change at the moment, I would say we are pretty much in a safe zone right now,” Weech said.
Ralston has witnessed the same in Ocean City.
“The donations have been amazing,” she said. “The week before Thanksgiving, our two local schools sponsored food drives which resulted in over 2,000 pounds of food donated.”
The donations included turkeys, hams and “blessing bags” containing personal care items. Ralston said the food cupboard is currently well stocked.
“We also continue to receive monetary donations, and gift cards are always appreciated because it allows us to buy a variety of food and personal items that can be distributed in addition to our standard stock items,” Ralston said.
However, Weech said, food banks are always in need of food donations due to a constant flow of food coming and going.
“Now that winter is here, we will need soup. We can never have enough soup,” he said, adding that oatmeal and other cereals are always needed.
He said the church’s food bank tries to keep in mind the homeless population and those who don’t have cooking accommodations. It is helpful to provide soups and canned meats that do not require a can opener, Weech said.
Protein bars are also helpful for the homeless population, he said.
Seashore Community Church of the Nazarene will be hosting a homeless seminar for the public in February. The church is also the official warming center for the homeless in Lower and Middle townships during Code Blue events.
The food bank accepts donation of groceries and toiletries. Monetary donations are also accepted. They are used to purchase items that have not been donated.
The church website has a giving area for the food bank: sccnaz.com. A list of needed items is also posted on the website.
Sought after items by the food bank include pasta, macaroni and cheese, hot cereals, sugar, canned beans, applesauce, canned fruit, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes, paper products, cookies, crackers, plates, napkins and spoons. The food bank is located at 446 Seashore Road in Erma. Call (609) 886-6196.