The Journey To Empowerment Starts Here!

About 15% of Prospect Park and Haledon households experienced food insecurity. A 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment for Passaic County identified access to healthy foods as the county's highest priority health need. At New Hope, we have a two-pronged approach to helping families put food on their tables.

FOOD PANTRY

When families and individuals are in crisis, their first stop is usually the food pantry. The pantry is needed to help cut the cost of groceries to free up money for other bills. We use a method called “client’s choice.” This means that instead of being handed pre-sorted bags of food, our participants “shop” for themselves. Each household is allocated a certain amount of items. Participants select grocery items in our pantry according to their needs and preferences. In addition to the Saturday food distributions, we provide emergency food bags during regular office hours to anyone in need. Research has shown that when individuals who are food insecure participate in food pantries, it can improve mental health and alleviate food insecurity. The food pantry serves about 2,000 individuals annually. 

THE HARVEST

While many families are in crisis and need emergency food, still more are chronically fighting to consistently provide adequate, healthy food. The Food Pantry cannot subsidize a family's entire food budget. In reality, most families are still purchasing a majority of their groceries. This is where The Harvest steps in. The Harvest is a food buying club that empowers its members with access to affordable and healthy food. Members of The Harvest are able to get cheaper prices on the food they need above and beyond what they receive from the Food Pantry. By purchasing food in bulk and working together to cut the cost of the food we eat, New Hope is partnering with the community to combat food insecurity together.