Food Pantry To Reopen At New Location In Somerset County

RARITAN, NJ ? The Food Bank Network of Somerset County announced its Raritan Food Pantry will reopen on Saturday at a new location.

The pantry will open at 9:30 a.m. at its new address of 25 E. Somerset St. in Raritan.

Going forward, the pantry will be open the second Saturday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

To receive food:

• Must live in Somerset County(excluding Franklin Township)
• Bring photo ID and proof of address (current pieve of mail, bill, lease, etc.)

To donate food:

• Donations can be dropped off at the main warehouse, 7E Easy Street, Middlebrook Crossroads Industrial Park, Bound Brook

Interested in volunteering? Contact the Volunteer Coordinator at katie@somersetfoodbank.org or call 848-379-8975.

The Food Bank Network of Somerset County is seeing a surge of new clients and it is expected to "only get worse," said Steve Katz, Executive Director of The Food Bank Network of Somerset County.

Related: Somerset County Food Bank Sees 166% Increase In Demand, Fundraiser Launched To Help Hungry

To put it in perspective, in 2021, the food bank had 12,000 client visits. In 2023, that number jumped to 27,000 client visits. In 2024, the food bank saw more than 32,000 visits. This marks a 166 percent increase from 2021 to 2024.

That is an average of about 1,800 to 1,900 households per month, or about 8,000 to 9,000 people, since the food bank allows two visits a month, according to Katz.

"And we're expecting to blow through that number this year. And then, who knows in 2026 and 2027 because that's when the actual changes to [Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits] and custom Medicaid and other programs are really going to be felt," said Katz to Patch.

For more information on the Food Bank Network of Somerset County, to volunteer, or to donate, visit somersetfoodbank.org or follow instagram.com/somersetfoodbank or facebook.com/FBNSC1982.

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