IN THE NEWS - The Food Brigade and our President, Karen DeMarco, are cited in a new article about the impact of federal cuts upon food pantries in North Jersey:
“Seeing people struggling is really difficult,” said Karen DeMarco, founder of The Food Brigade, which runs three pantries in North Jersey. “I had a woman who just registered today, and I said to her, ‘OK, do you want to go shopping?’ and she started crying.
“It tears your heart out,” DeMarco continues. “You have people show up and they have a baby in their arms. Sometimes you can see people haven’t been eating. It’s heartbreaking. It’s devastating to me, because I believe in being a good human and I believe the right to feed your family is a right. I don't think it’s a privilege.”
“Most of our clients are the working poor. Many of them have multiple jobs at low wages, and it’s not enough for them to pay rent, bills, their drug prescriptions, etc., and these parents are left with the choice of feeding their children or keeping their electricity on,” she said. “Nonprofits like The Food Brigade are happy to help for our neighbors in need, but we need support, and to suddenly strip away that support would be devastating to local families.”
