Ridgewood's HealthBarn Fights Food Insecurity With Grant Money

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — A $1 million state grant will help the HealthBarn Foundation support restaurants in Ridgewood's Central Business District, and deliver 100,000 meals to county residents struggling with food insecurity.

The grant was awarded through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority's Sustain and Serve program, which delivered $14 million in grant funding to 27 recipients across the state.

That money was distributed to nonprofits like HealthBarn, which utilize local restaurants to distribute meals to community members facing food insecurity. That's evermore important since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, when county residents relied on donated meals at numbers hardly seen before.

HealthBarn has been a part of the fight to feed those needing assistance since April 2020, when, along with the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, they created the "Feed the Frontlines" initiative.

That program raised over $100,000 through donations, according to HealthBarn Founder and Director Stacey Antine. Those donations went directly to local restaurants, who in turn provided meals for 4,000 frontline workers and "people in need," Antine said.

"The pandemic has impacted many of us, particularly the food insecure and small businesses. We look forward to extending the good works to other communities in Bergen County," said former Ridgewood Mayor and current Bergen County Board of Commissioners member Ramon Hache.

"The silver lining is that the organizations that have long addressed the issue of food insecurity are finally receiving the awareness within the communities they faithfully serve."

Grant money will be used to continue partnering with restaurants in Ridgewood's Central Business District. They will prepare meals to be distributed on a weekly basis to Ridgecrest Senior Housing, S.H.A.R.E. Senior Homes, Social Service Association of Ridgewood, West Bergen Mental Health, and to food pantries throughout Bergen County, according to the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber President Scott Lief called the initiative a "classic win-win" in that it helps both those facing food insecurity, and restaurants whose margins were hit hard by the pandemic.

"What is truly amazing is that we can blend Stacey’s leadership in feeding people with helping the restaurant community at a time that it is so desperately needed by people," said Lief.

Now, other Bergen County leaders are joining the initiative, including County Commissioner Tracy Zur, who leads the Bergen County Food Security Task Force, and the Bergen Volunteers.

Zur will help identify specific food pantries in need of aid in the county, while Bergen Volunteers will provide transportation of meal deliveries.

Door Dash, the food delivery app, will also offer their drivers for the meal delivery teams, according to a news release.

With more and more people and organizations volunteering to help, Gov. Phil Murphy said it shines a light on how intertwined restaurants are with their community.

"New Jersey’s restaurants were hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the outpouring of interest in Sustain & Serve NJ underscores the community’s desire to help local restaurants and the neighborhoods they serve," said Murphy. "The positive economic impact of this program for the restaurant industry, combined with the good it will do in the community, makes Sustain & Serve NJ a home run."