New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition (NJAHC),
formerly the Statewide Emergency Food and Anti-Hunger Network (SEFAN)
The mission of the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition (NJAHC), formerly the Statewide Emergency Food and Anti-Hunger Network (SEFAN) is to end hunger in New Jersey through education, advocacy and activism.
The New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition is a program of the Center for Food Action (CFA). Log on to the CFA website for more information.
Advocate
Donate to NJAHC
Lend Your Voice to Help the Hungry!
Tens of thousands of NJ residents who experience hunger and food insecurity need you to lend your voice to the cause by making your government representatives aware of the problem and telling them what they can do to help. You can be an anti-hunger advocate in a number of ways:
- Write a letter and/or call to your government representative
- Invite government representatives to visit your emergency food site
- Arrange to meet with your representatives in their local offices
- Attend press events
- Start local efforts to help low-income children have better access to healthy food
- Join the advocacy network of the NJ Anti-Hunger Coalition!
*Get on the NJAHC email list to get advocacy updates and action alerts. Sign up at the top of the right column on this page.
To get contact information for your Congressional Representatives and your State Legislators, click here.
The NJAHC ADVOCACY NETWORK
The New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition (NJAHC) coordinates a statewide advocacy network of concerned citizens, staff and volunteers from food pantries and soup kitchens, faith based organizations and anti-poverty advocates that work together to address hunger in New Jersey. NJAHC is leading many anti-hunger advocacy efforts to improve food stamps, emergency food and child nutrition programs, so that low-income households, including families with children and senior citizens, can get the help they need.
Because NJAHC members come from all over the state, NJAHC meets monthly in central New Jersey. NJAHC members (whether or not they are able to attend meetings) get up to date advocacy information and action alerts through the NJAHC email list serve.
*Get on the NJAHC email list to get advocacy updates and action alerts. Sign up at the top of the right column on this page.
The NJ Anti-Hunger Coalition is involved in several anti-hunger advocacy efforts on the local, state and federal levels. Here is a brief description of a few of the issues we are working on:
Food Stamps
Food stamps are the first line of defense against hunger, providing nutrition assistance to tens of thousands of seniors, children and working families in NJ, yet only 58% of households that are eligible for food stamps are getting the help they need. NJAHC is advocating with the state and county for improvements to the food stamp program that would allow thousands more low-income NJ households to get needed nutrition assistance.
State Food Purchase Program
NJAHC worked tirelessly to get state funds for the purchase of emergency food. In 2006, Governor Corzine initiated the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP) and committed $3 million for emergency food to be distributed to those in need through NJ’s six regional food banks.
Summer Food
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides healthy meals to low-income children during summer months when they do not have access to school meals, but only about 25% of eligible children in NJ are participating in Summer Food. NJAHC is working with the state and local agencies to get more summer food sites up and running around the state.
School Breakfast and Lunch
Free and reduced price school meals are critical to children’s ability to learn and grow. Due to existing barriers, thousands of NJ children are not getting school breakfast, the most important meal of the day. In fact, during the 2006-2007 school year only 36.1% of kids who got free/reduced price lunch were participating in school breakfast. NJAHC is working with the state as well as local school districts to help more low-income children gain access to school breakfast.
To see specific recommendations for improvements to these programs, click here.