Today, Ken ReRoberts, Chairman and Co-Founder of the Platinum-rated non-profit SoupKitchen411, issued the following statement on nationwide and regional rising food insecurity coinciding with the holiday season:
"SoupKitchen411 was founded 5 years ago as a free database of neighborhood soup kitchens, but in the wake of the economic damage caused instantly by COVID-19, we pivoted to buying meals from struggling restaurants to serve at local soup kitchens.
Working with Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Port Authority of NY/NJ Chairman Kevin O'Toole, we called this initiative FeedNJ. Since April, we've bought and served almost 35,000 meals.
Census data from November has revealed there are over 26 million adults in the United States currently experiencing food insecurity. And with 12 million Americans potentially losing unemployment benefits when CARES Act positions lapse, that number will likely rise.
We hope wide-spread vaccinations occur on schedule and the national and regional economy recovers quickly, but we know many people will still be hurting next Passover, Ramadan, Diwali and Christmas. If that is the case, our FeedNJ program will continue to work tirelessly to support local restaurants and feed communities.
We are far from the only organization working to serve meals to people in need, nor the only one that buys these meals from restaurants, so I would like to thank all like-minded organizations for their amazing, mission-driven work.
This holiday season, I am exceedingly grateful to the board members, donors and partners who have made our FeedNJ program successful, and who are committed to continuing our efforts in 2021."