The Community FoodBank of New Jersey is pleased to have been selected as one of three grantees for a statewide nutrition education initiative that seeks to promote healthy eating while reducing the risk for chronic disease among limited-resource individuals and families. New Jersey’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (NJ SNAP-Ed) is an extension of the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and is administered in collaboration between the New Jersey Department of Human Services and Department of Health.
Currently, 9% of New Jersey residents receive SNAP (formerly called food stamps) benefits. Many more live with the day-to-day reality of poverty, which impacts 11% of our state’s population and 16% of our youngest residents (below the age of 16). The SNAP-Ed program will help residents make healthy food choices within their limited budget and teach them how to incorporate physical activity into their lifestyles. Events will be available to partnering schools, organizations and workplaces that serve predominantly low-income New Jersey residents. Cooking demonstrations, grocery store tours and 4-6 week classes will be offered beginning in the summer of 2018 at school and community sites in 12 counties throughout our service area.
Additionally, NJ SNAP-Ed will help to make the selection of healthy food the easy choice in the communities that we serve. More than 27% of NJ residents struggle with obesity and many more suffer from being overweight. Initiatives to reduce the incidence of obesity through the SNAP-Ed program include the promotion of healthy corner stores, the facilitation of farm-to-school programs as well as educational initiatives that reduce screen time for children. Easy ways to access and prepare fruits and vegetables will be a primary focus of the program since only 12% of adults meet the recommended daily intake levels for fruit and only 9% meet the current recommendations for vegetable consumption.
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s SNAP-Ed program will provide services within the following counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Passaic, Union, and Salem. Visit NJSNAP-Ed.gov to learn more about the SNAP-Ed program and to find information about SNAP-Ed in other counties.
If your school or organization is interested in participating with the SNAP-Ed program, please contact us at (908)-355-3663 ext. 500 to schedule a partnership meeting.