I am the director of a subsidized housing apartment building in Paterson, for low-income seniors. CFA has come twice to visit us, bringing wonderful fresh produce to our tenants. The volunteers are extremely helpful and hard-working, the organization is organized and efficient and the produce is top-notch! The tenants are all thrilled to hear they are coming and enjoy nutritious meals for days.
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- EIN 22-2189072
- 201-569-1804 x25
- 192 W Demarest Ave Englewood NJ 07631 USA
- http://www.cfanj.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Emergency Assistance, Homeless & Housing, Housing Expense Reduction Support, Human Services
Mission: The Center for Food Action provides emergency food, housing, heating, and utility assistance to low-income people in northern New Jersey. CFA's staff and volunteers work with clients to improve their lives through a wide range of direct services including the provision of food, rental payments, security deposits, heating oil, utility payments, advocacy, counseling and referrals to other agencies. Support comes from all segments of the community. We receive food and funds from religious and civic groups, schools, corporate sponsors and individuals.
Results: Hunger takes a physical toll and has a devastating emotional impact on many in the community. This year the CFA will have distributed over 65,000 emergency food packages -almost $6 million worth of food - and prevented several hundred families from losing their homes and helped hundreds of households stay warm this winter.
Target demographics: Most of our neighbors who come to CFA for assistance are working people who have hit upon hard times due to an illness, a low paying job, or temporary unemployment. Nearly half of CFA's clients are children and 19% are seniors.
Direct beneficiaries per year: The Number of People Helped Has Jumped 50% Since 2008. In 2017, CFA distributed 65,163 Emergency & Holiday Food Packages. An emergency food package consists of seven days worth of food; the amount of food a household receives is based on family size. On average, an emergency food package consists of 6 bags of groceries. CFA provided Thanksgiving food packages to 3,302 households – 10,236 people . As needed, CFA clients can come for food packages up to 12 times a year. CFA helped 1,076 households with other basic needs: rent – 242 households, security deposits – 204 households, utility & heating bills – 629 households, miscellaneous assistance – 1. CFA distributed more than 30,000-weekend snack packs to children in eight area elementary schools.
Geographic areas served: Northern New Jersey
Programs: The Center for Food Action (CFA), founded in 1976, is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization that provides emergency services to northern NJ's poorest and most vulnerable residents. CFA provides food, housing, utility, and heating assistance and offers counseling and advocacy services to low-income individuals and families. CFA is headquartered in Englewood and has sites in Fairview, Hackensack, Mahwah, Ringwood, and Saddle Brook. In 2014, at the request of Bergen Community College, CFA opened a site on BCC’s Paramus campus in order to serve low-income students and their families. Started by the late singer Harry Chapin and Bill Ayres as World Hunger Year New Jersey, the agency originally focused on the global causes of world hunger but within months of its start, it became evident that some people in our own community needed help in order to put food on their tables.