The Food Bank of South Jersey got a $63,000 donation on Feb. 4 from Dunkin’ of Greater Philadelphia, following the company’s 15th annual Roasts Hunger program.
The food bank serves Camden, Gloucester, Burlington and Salem counties, employs about 70 people and will use the donation to distribute 126,000 meals to some of its more than 300 community partners. Its chief development officer, Lavinia Awosanya, said the funds will help continue the facility’s mission.
“The impact, it’s going to sustain our mission,” she explained. “Our mission really relies on donations, so every time we receive a donation, it translates to meals that go out into the community. About last year, the need went so high, at some point, we were providing food to about 200,000 people right here in South Jersey.”
Last year’s services were strained by the temporary loss of SNAP benefits during the month-long government shutdown that began on Oct. 1.
“People got less SNAP, so they were going to our food pantries,” Awosanya said. “Our food pantries at some point were experiencing about a 40% increase in need. And obviously they rely on the food bank to provide food resources. So we had to – thanks to the generosity of so many of our donors – we were able to purchase food and get a lot of emergency food boxes out into the community.”
While Congress recently avoided another shutdown, the food bank remains concerned about funding that will need approval again in September.
“We’re always worried about the impact of future government shutdowns,” Awosanya emphasized. “But thankfully, the most recent threat did not really impact us.”
Dunkin’ raised a total of $350,000 through the annual Roasts Hunger program, which ran from Thanksgiving to Dec. 17. The food bank got more money this year than last year’s $47,000, but at the end of the day, any amount is appreciated.
“We, as a food bank, we have donors that give from $25 to $1.5 million,” Awosanya related. “All of that goes toward supporting our operation and keeping that flow of food constant to our community. So yes, we are grateful for the higher dollars, but we’re also grateful for that base of donors who just consistently are sending us the funds that we need to keep our operation running, to help us procure the food that we need.”
After the food bank got its check from Dunkin’, about 10 of the company’s employees volunteered to package items at the facility for weekly deliveries to shelters. Since COVID, volunteer groups are limited to between 15 and 25 people.
Awosanya revealed that among the four counties the pantry serves, Camden County gets more resources than the others, due in part to resources that go to Camden city.
“As you know, Camden is a food desert,” she pointed out, “and roughly 40% of our resources are directed (there). In terms of need, that is an area that has great need … Having pantries that are located in neighborhoods make food access that much easier, because people who reside in those neighborhoods can easily access that pantry to get the food they need.”
