A Message from Fred Wasiak, President and CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey

Ahh, the sounds of the food bank. Forklifts whirring in the warehouse. Trucks being loaded up and heading out onto our streets. Conversations with community partners by the bay doors. The clattering of a busy kitchen. The enthusiastic chatter of volunteers back in our facility.

The Food Bank of South Jersey is bustling with action. Our hallways, our warehouse, our food demonstrations are as busy as ever – a chorus of community members coming together to meet the ongoing needs of our neighbors.

 

And we’re tuned in to all the other noise, too. You can’t turn on the news without hearing about the ever-rising costs of inflation. Everyday staples get more expensive by the minute, and so do so many other costs.

We even hear it here at the Food Bank of South Jersey. Our freight expenses have doubled, the cost for us to purchase and distribute food is rising, and it’s harder for us to get some of the foods that we need and want to distribute.

But we won’t let that stop us.

We know that when prices go up, so does food insecurity. Since the beginning of 2022, FBSJ has been distributing food at higher levels than prior to the pandemic. Between January and February of this year alone, we saw nearly 30 percent more people at our community events and partner agencies. And we expect the need to continue to rise as prices remain high.

We appreciate your continued support to help us rise above the noise. FBSJ will sustain the flow of food going through our partner agencies and mobile distributions to meet the needs of nearly 200,000 people living in food-insecure households in South Jersey.

Thank you for your support!

Fred C. Wasiak
President & CEO