NJ Hunger Project Packages 101,418 Meals

ONE Project and BeKind Partner to Fight Food Insecurity in New Jersey

ROBBINSVILLE - (July 15, 2023) - The ONE Project, a faith and community coalition that addresses social needs through education and volunteerism, along with BeKind, a grassroots organization aimed at spreading kindness through the joy of giving with volunteerism, hosted the 2023 NJ Hunger Project at Robbinsville High Saturday.

The ONE Project and BeKind, working with U.S. Hunger, brought together nearly 1,200 community volunteers and packaged 101,418 meals for food insecure kids in New Jersey. 

Volunteers packaged ingredients for a Red Lentil Jambalaya meal created by nutritionists at U.S. Hunger. This meal - which consists of rice, red lentils, dehydrated vegetables, and pink Himalayan salt - is nutritious, non-perishable, and best of all, only costs 38 cents per meal.

The Hunger Project team raised the money through the help of dozens of local businesses and community organizations, and donations from over 100 generous individuals. Included in those donations are Food Warrior Sponsors CloudLabs Inc., Anjie Kumar at ERA Central Realty Group, Dalal and Mehta Law, U.S. Taxes, Xpand, and the Jesse Guleria Memorial Fund who all donated enough to purchase 15,000 meals each. Anjie Kumar from ERA Central Realty Group stated, “the beauty of the NJ Hunger Project is that we are affecting the lives of so many people in need. Everyone is giving with their heart knowing that these meals will help people from all walks of life regardless of their background.”

The meals were primarily donated to Mercer Street Friends Food Bank and will be distributed throughout New Jersey. These meals will specifically target summer feeding sites and the “Send Hunger Packing” program, which is part of Feeding America’s National BackPack Program. Both of these programs are designed to target low-income children in Mercer County who struggle to afford food when they are out of school.  We will also be distributing meals through various non-profit partners throughout New Jersey.

These meals are particularly impactful considering that Feeding America’s research project, Map the Meal Gap, shows that over 197,000 children in New Jersey or 1 in every 10 children are food insecure. NJ Hunger Project Planning Team member Tina Karkera said, “this is about more than putting together 100,000 meals for food insecure children – this project strengthens the ties we have as a community, reminding us that there is strength in numbers and that we can do so much good together.”

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