Hunger-Free Communities

For more information please contact Hunger-Free Communities Project Director
Ucheoma Akobundu, PhD, RD, via email or at (973) 279-8900 Ext. 200.

  Sign-up here if you are interested in participating in the project, to receive invitations

In 2010 the USDA appropriated $5 million in grant funding for purposes authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 in the section entitled Hunger-Free Communities.  The grants were made available to food and nutrition organizations for projects that assess community hunger problems and/or develop new resources to achieve Hunger-Free Communities by improving access to nutritious food through research, planning, and implementation of hunger relief activities.

United Way of Passaic County is the recipient of a $100,000 planning and assessment grant to address food insecurity.

Project Description

Passaic County, New Jersey, is an hourglass-shaped county of approximately half a million residents located in Northern New Jersey.  Passaic County’s “downcounty” area includes the densely populated urban centers of Passaic and Paterson, surrounded by middle-class and working-class suburban areas that vary in their ethnic makeup and income distribution.  Preliminary data suggests a significant project need.  Assessment objectives include determining the extent and severity of food insecurity in all Passaic County municipalities and among various high-risk Passaic County populations and determining possible causes of food insecurity in Passaic County.

The goals of the Hunger Free Communities project are to:

1. Consolidate the knowledge base regarding the food insecurity in Passaic County, NJ through a community-wide assessment process.
2. Create a Food Policy Council for Passaic County.
3. Develop an action plan to address food insecurity in Passaic County for implementation by a diverse group of stakeholders (i.e., funders, community leaders, social service programs, policymakers).
   

The community-wide assessment for the Hunger Free Communities project is designed to determine the extent and severity of food insecurity in all Passaic County municipalities and among various high-risk Passaic County populations. This information will be collected via community focus group meetings and surveys in a variety of venues across the county.

Learn More!

Click here to view more Hunger-Free Communities.

Click here is you are interested in learning more about United Way of Passaic's Hunger-Free Communities work; including the county-wide assessement, the development of a food plan and the creation of a county-wide Food Policy Council.

Click here to learn the Food Policy Council.