On Tuesday, July 16, New Jersey nonprofit The Food Brigade held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Community Food Security Center of Passaic County, established to help local residents dealing with food insecurity. Attendees included President/CEO Elizabeth McCarthy and Vice President Jennifer Nelson of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Clifton Mayor Ray Grabowski, Clifton City Manager Dominick Villano, Passaic County Commissioner Cassandra Lazzara, Passaic County Director of Human Services Dr. Arti Kakkar, Jennifer Salt Taylor of the Passaic County Food Policy Council, Executive Director Heather Thompson of Table to Table, and Executive Director Mark Dinglasan and Dr. Jenny Schrum from the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate in Trenton.

 

The new facility includes the organization's Clifton Community Market, an education center providing wraparound services, and a 3,000 square foot warehouse which serves as a distribution hub for The Food Brigade's operations and to support other local food assistance agencies.

 

The Community Market is available to registered guests who meet at least one of seven poverty-based criteria. Rather than what one might expect a typical food pantry to look like, the Market is similar in appearance and operation to a grocery store. Guests enter, scan their shopper card, take a shopping cart, and make their way through the Market, choosing from over a hundred different food items including fresh produce, fresh dairy, and frozen meat and seafood.

 

"We wanted to bring the highest level of respect and dignity to the food receiving process", said Karen DeMarco, President and co-founder of The Food Brigade. "Being hungry and not having enough food to feed your children is one of the most stressful situations someone can go through. We want to normalize the process of receiving food assistance as much as possible, including increasing the autonomy and self-determination of our guests."

 

The CFSC also includes a training room where guests can attend sessions on SNAP enrollment, job training, nutrition, budgeting, financial literacy, and more. "We have transitioned from being an emergency food provider, to a holistic food center offering wraparound services to attack the root causes of hunger and food insecurity", DeMarco added. "Food pantries need to move from being transactional, to being transformative in the lives of those who come to them for help. And that takes more than just food."

 

The project is being supported by significant grants from the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the Lowe's Hometowns program, as well as funding from the New Jersey Department of State Office of Faith Based Initiatives, the AARP Community Challenge award, and the Starbucks Foundation.

 

"It's been a great honor to support The Food Brigade's new Community Food Security Center of Passaic County, from the planning stages to helping fund it through CFBNJ's latest round of Network Investment Grants," said Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. "Together, we're nourishing our neighbors with healthy food, the dignity of choice, and wrap-around services to address food insecurity in the long-term."

 

The Food Brigade was founded in 2020 and currently operates four food distribution centers in Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson Counties. The locations are operated on an appointment basis and are referred to as "community markets" rather than "food pantries", with the visitors called "guests" rather than "clients" or "recipients". Last year, the organization helped feed approximately 78,000 people in need, including nearly 26,000 children, from six North Jersey counties. For its work in the area of food security, it was named "Best Nonprofit Organization" of 2023 and 2024 by the readers of 201 Magazine, and President Karen DeMarco was given the New Jersey Governor's Jefferson Award for Public Service medal as the top volunteer founder/innovator in the state.

 

"The Food Brigade is already an integral part of the Passaic County tapestry of non-profit organizations that provide our community with access to food and wrap around services", noted Passaic County Commissioner Sandra Lazzara. "Food Brigade's services will uplift and embrace our most vulnerable residents, and Passaic County is blessed to have them open a warehouse and store here."

 

Clifton Mayor Ray Grabowski added: "The Food Brigade is a prime example of society helping those in need. I am proud that this organization has a facility located in Clifton."