Provided/Jewish Family Service staff member Elaine Gilles packs food bags to be delivered to the agency's Atlantic City office location.
MARGATE - To combat food insecurity in the region, ACME Markets Foundation charitable program has awarded Jewish Family Service of Atlantic and Cape May Counties a $5,000 Nourishing Neighbors Nutrition Security grant. The funding aims to connect qualified individuals with the existing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women Infants and Children (WIC) federal meal program.
ACME Markets and its foundation's Nourishing Neighbors program has been a steadfast supporter of the agency's Food Pantry, JFS CEO Andrea Steinberg said in a release. We are thankful to continue our partnership with this community-minded foundation as we work collectively to address and mitigate hunger issues in the region.
To date this year, the JFS Food Pantry distributed nearly 54,000 pounds of food and basic essentials to over 7,410 individuals and families, including 2,664 children, and delivered more than 560 Kosher ready-to-eat meals to older adults.
There are millions of people in this country who need access to nutritious food and qualify for federal food assistance programs, but they don't know how to enroll or get the support they need. By partnering with top-notch organizations, like Jewish Family Service, we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors who are facing food insecurity issues, said Dana Ward of ACME Markets Foundation. We appreciate the work of JFS who is dedicated to helping with enrollment, outreach, transportation and other issues that might prevent people from participating in federal meal programs.
The JFS Food Pantry, located at the Margate office, 607 N. Jerome Ave., is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and offers perishable and non-perishable food, basic essentials, baby products and more.
If you or someone you know living in Atlantic County is in need of emergency food, visit the office or call JFS Intake at 609-822-1108.
For more information on making food pantry donations, contact Bailey Pokres at [email protected]. For information on volunteer opportunities, email [email protected].