Sustain & Serve NJ marks milestone in meals distributed

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The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) announced this week it reached a milestone through its Sustain & Serve NJ program, supporting the purchase and distribution of more than 5 million meals.

The initiative was launched in late 2020 as a $2 million pilot to support restaurants impacted by the pandemic. Since that time, it has exploded into a $57.6 million program that has enabled 36 organizations to purchase meals from nearly 450 New Jersey restaurants in 179 municipalities across all 21 counties and distribute nearly 5.4 million meals – at no cost – to residents facing food insecurity.

The Murphy administration says the effort is part of its whole-of-government approach to strengthen the food security of all New Jerseyans.

“Sustain & Serve NJ brings out the best in our communities – nonprofit organizations working together with their local restaurants to ensure neighbors have access to nutritious meals,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. “The enormous benefits of this recovery-focused program can simply not be overstated.”

“Sustain & Serve started as an innovative model for helping restaurants endure the economic emergency created by COVID-19 and grew to provide over 5 million meals to hungry individuals and families all over the state,” said NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan. “We are grateful to Gov. Murphy and the New Jersey Legislature entrusting us to deliver on the promise of Sustain & Serve NJ, which has expanded the capacity of our grantees to serve the New Jerseyans that depend on them for food, while lifting up the restaurants that are a source of jobs, culture, and vitality in our communities.”

“Sustain & Serve NJ is a model example of the effective partnership between our state, local restaurants, and nonprofits in the fight against food insecurity,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-19th District. “The program’s success has been twofold: putting hot meals on the plates of those struggling while also supporting small, often family-owned businesses. Resources like this are critical as we continue to combat hunger in our communities.”

To mark the milestone, NJEDA issued a report and video that outlines the impact of the program, which includes grantees and restaurant owners sharing their experiences.

“At the Coalition for Food and Health Equity, we mobilize food,” said Coalition for Food and Health Equity founder and CEO Leeja Carter. “We think about not just food security being food on the table, but it’s how do we get food from Point A to Point B, the logistics around food. The Sustain & Serve NJ program helped us evolve the work that we were doing here in Hudson County.”

“At the start of COVID, our organization was only providing about 120 to 150 meals per week and then when COVID hit, we were taxed and the demand for meals rose up to 900 to 1,000 meals per week,” said A Need We Feed President Mark Blackwell. “We knew long-term that that wasn’t sustainable in our budget. Then the NJEDA’s Sustain & Serve NJ grant became available, the timing of that was just perfect.”

“Revenue from the meals purchased through Sustain & Serve NJ helped us keep our doors open and our employees paid throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mohamed Elrawy, owner of Pita Square, a Newark restaurant working with multiple Sustain & Serve NJ grantees. “It’s been an honor working with local organizations like Coalition for Food and Health Equity, Newark Working Kitchens, and University Hospital to get our food into the hands of people who need it most. I cannot speak highly enough about this program.”