Center for Food Action rent assistance and hunger prevention programs .
Using government grants and private donations, the Center for Food Action works to prevent hunger and homelessness in Bergen County. In an effort to make this happen, they may provide emergency funds for paying rent or boxes of food, which free up a client's income for other expenses. The homelessness that have met self-sufficiency goals may also qualify for security deposits, and the non-profit will also offer case management throughout this process.
Housing services and emergency support in Bergen County
One of the non-profits main priorities is to provide assistance and guidance to struggling residents that enables them to maintain stable housing. All of this will ideally help people avoid eviction or foreclosure of their home, or to obtain housing or an apartment that is more secure and affordable to them over the long term.
To that end, the Center for Food Action will provide security deposits or cash grants for rent payments to landlords on behalf of qualified clients. Another resource available is payments on behalf of residents to utility and heating oil companies.
Assistance for preventing hunger from the center
The Emergency Food Program is always in high demand in Bergen County. Volunteers and the agency will furnish groceries and a number of free food packages to low-income and working poor households. Each bag of groceries or box of food consists of canned items, fresh fruits, milk and more.
Food amounts provided will vary according to the number of people living in each household as well as their income, with the average size of a box containing several days of food. A typical emergency package consists of personal care items, free bags of groceries, donated food, paper goods, and even cleaning supplies.
Depending on the availability of funding, Center for Food Action will also purchase eggs, meat, and fresh produce to add to the packages. Thanksgiving and free Christmas meals and meal packages are also available. For those with special needs, such as seniors or others, there may be targeted at such as diabetic package.
New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition provides technical assistance and information to soup kitchens, food pantries and other emergency providers throughout New Jersey. The program also offers educational services to the general public and government policy makers on the subject of hunger prevention and how to deal with food insecurity. Additionally, NJAHC works to increase access to adequate and healthy food for low-income citizens by advocating for responsible public policies on the state, local and federal levels.
During the school year or even summer or holiday breaks, a good number of families in Bergen County depend on the free or reduced-price school meals to provide a portion of the nutrition needed on a daily basis for children to grow. During certain times of the year, CFA fills the gap with its summer lunch service or Weekend Snack Pack Program. These resources furnish healthy, kid-friendly, easy-to-prepare snacks or related healthier foods to at-risk children who might otherwise be hungry over the summer vacation or weekends.
This particular program operates with a special emphasis on the privacy of the students. Center for Food Action and the Rotary of the Palisades deliver sealed snack packs to a number of Bergen County elementary schools a few times per month, and teachers from the local school will then discreetly distribute them to participating students by slipping them into backpacks when the children are not in the classroom.
Groups of volunteers from churches, charities and other groups are always needed to help keep this service operational. Please help if you can by collecting, sorting, and packaging the weekend snack packs. Also, if a charity were to host a food drive to benefit this program, you are helping children in Bergen County.
Community gardens are also set up to fight hunger as well. There are locations in Englewood and other towns. Qualified families can get free fresh foods, such as pole beans, tomatoes, squash, peppers, cabbage, basil, leeks, nasturtiums, sage, pot marigolds, and breads.
The Center for Food Action operates from several different centers. They include the following.
- 192 W. Demarest Ave., Englewood, NJ 07631, dial 201-569-1804
- Another office is at 239 Anderson Ave., Fairview, New Jersey 07022, dial 201-945-5831
- 316 First St., Hackensack, NJ 07601, telephone - 201-883-9375
- Mahwah Site is located at 90 Ridge Rd., Mahwah, NJ 07430, main phone 201-529-2029
- 1061A Slocum Ave., Ridgefield, NJ 07657, dial 201-956-7630
- 145 Carletondale Rd, Ringwood, New Jersey 07456, telephone 201-529-2029
- Saddle Brook office and a local Warehouse are at 224 Midland Ave., Saddle Brook, NJ 07663. Call the center at 201-703-9857.
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