Jersey City Organizations Collaborate To Fight Food Insecurity

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Two local organizations focused on battling food insecurity have combined to feed the hungry in Jersey City restaurant food.

AngelaCARES and FeedNJ came together last month to feed over 5,000 Jersey City residents, and their work isn't done. The collaborative is focused on feeding residents any way they can, which means having food ready at soup kitchens as well as bringing the food directly to the residents.

Every week, AngelaCARES arranges for a combined 500 meals, purchased by FeedNJ, to be delivered to Triangle Park Community Center on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and Astor Community Garden and Neighborhood Association on Saturdays at 9 a.m. The remaining 500 meals purchased by FeedNJ are distributed by AngelaCARES volunteers to homebound seniors by dedicated AngelaCARES volunteers Fridays and Saturdays.

“I am extremely happy that SoupKitchen411 has partnered with AngelaCARES to not only provide meals to homebound seniors and families to help fight food insecurity, but also provide an avenue for local restaurant the opportunity to keep their door opens during this pandemic,” said Angela McKnight, founder of AngelaCARES and Assemblywoman.

Local restaurants prepare the meals in bulk and they cost roughly $10 per meal, which brings much needed revenue and labor to the restaurants.

"With bulk orders from FeedNJ, we have been able to provide more hours to our hard-working employees without hurting our bottom line," said Jacob Ryvkin, owner of Hudson Grille in Jersey City. The restaurant employs a staff of eight full-time employees and about five-part time employees. "There’s a special pride in knowing our meals are going to people who really need them, where they will be appreciated."

Over 30 recurring meal services, serving 9,000 meals, are scheduled across the Garden State weekly through June. Full listings of all locations can be found at soupkitchen411.com/feednj.