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Donations to Fund 150,000 Meals for Those in Need Across South Jersey

Each day, individuals and families across southern New Jersey face challenges with food insecurity and struggle to ensure there is enough food on the table. The ongoing pandemic, along with a series of severe and impactful storms, has only made it harder for many, especially in New Jersey where food insecurity is expected to rise 10 percent higher than the national average.

We understand the very real challenges facing the communities we serve. To continue supporting our customers, we are making $50,000 in donations to local food banks, including a $38,000 donation to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and a $12,000 donation to the South Jersey Food Bank. Combined, these donations are expected to fund 150,000 meals for those in need while also supporting organizations that are committed to alleviating hunger across South Jersey.

“Countless people have faced the tough realities of layoffs, reduced work hours and missed paychecks during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a projected 56 percent increase in New Jersey’s food insecurity rate,” said Carolos Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. “Our neighbors in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties have been particularly vulnerable to the pandemic’s economic effects.  We’re grateful for the support of dedicated partners like Atlantic City Electric.”

“We could not be more appreciative to Atlantic City Electric for supporting us as we work to bring food to more than 95,000 people every month,” reports Fred C. Wasiak, president and CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey. “Since our COVID-19 response began in March, we have distributed record-breaking volumes of food, surpassing all previous hunger-relief levels in terms of poundage and meal equivalents – we could not do what we do without the support, care and friendship of remarkable regional leaders, like Atlantic City Electric.”

In addition to these donations, our employees joined with employees from other utilities across New Jersey for a Utilities United in Kindness initiative focused on fundraising and running food drives to further support the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Earlier this year, we also hosted a food distribution site in June with the South Jersey Food Bank to provide food assistance for members of the community impacted by COVID-19.

We are committed to helping fight hunger across southern New Jersey. In addition to our ongoing charitable support, employees also volunteer regularly at local food banks, packing and sorting food and holding food drives. Together, these efforts are making a difference every day in the communities where we live and work. Click here for more information on our volunteer and charitable initiatives.