About Us

Fueling Change. Feeding All.

New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the nation. Yet, hunger is close by. It strikes your child’s classmates. Your elderly neighbor. Maybe even people in your own family. Hunger is stealthy. It can invade our lives in one crushing moment – a lost job, a debilitating accident, a serious illness.

There is no one face of hunger. Because hunger hurts all of us. That is why it takes a collective effort to end hunger. It takes public and political will. It takes widespread change.

Using a strategic combination of state and federal advocacy and local grassroot activism, Hunger Free New Jersey takes a comprehensive approach to solving hunger.

 

Read our 2019 Annual Bulletin

How we fight hunger.

  • Educate decision-makers
  • Advocate for stronger laws & policies
  • Mobilize grassroots advocates
  • Engage in strategic communications

Our Wins

A growing number of children are receiving school breakfast and afterschool and summer meals, with help from the New Jersey Food for Thought Campaign, a collective effort to combat childhood hunger by expanding participation in federal nutrition programs. Hunger Free New Jersey leads the campaign. 

Through state policy changes, more people in need of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP, aka food stamps) will be able to receive this critical aid.

The Campus Free Hunger Act was signed into law in May 2019. This promises to help more students find the support they need so they don’t have to choose between school and food. Hunger Free New Jersey worked with state lawmakers and other advocates to enact this beneficial law. 

Together, with local and national advocates, we have successfully stopped harmful cuts to federal nutrition assistance programs, protecting this critical safety net for tens of thousands of New Jersey residents.

Together we can fight hunger.

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Our History

Hunger Free New Jersey is the leading advocacy organization working to end hunger in New Jersey. We are a program of Center for Food Action (CFA), which provides emergency services to northern New Jersey’s poorest and most vulnerable residents.

Recognizing that food pantries cannot meet all the needs, CFA formed the organization in 1980 to advance comprehensive solutions to hunger. 

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Thanks to...

Our Supporters

Meet the Team

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Adele LaTourette​

Director

Adele has led Hunger Free New Jersey since its inception in 1980. She is the leading voice in New Jersey’s anti-hunger and nutrition community and serves as a resource to emergency food coalitions throughout the state. Adele’s leadership has earned her state and national recognition. Contact Adele at alatourette@cfanj.org.

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Lisa Pitz​

Outreach Director​

Lisa is well-known in communities across the state, as she brings together different partners to feed children and adults. A veteran at community organizing, Lisa can help your community tap into federal nutrition programs to feed hungry children. Contact Lisa at lpitz@cfanj.org.

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Nancy Parello​

Communications Director​

Nancy leads Hunger Free New Jersey’s communications efforts, drawing on decades of experience working first as a reporter and later as the director of communication for various organizations. Contact Nancy at nparello@cfanj.org.

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Brad Preston

Child Nutrition Outreach Specialist

Brad offers a mix of non-profit and legal experience in underserved areas.  Prior to joining Hunger Free New Jersey, he directed a youth development program for children in Harlem.  He frequently calls on his background in coalition-building when working with partners in southern NJ and around the state to connect children and families with food resources. Contact Brad at bpreston@cfanj.org.