From The Maplewood Foundation:
Maplewood, N.J. – The Maplewood Foundation, a community foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life of all Maplewood and South Orange residents, today announced it awarded an Emergency Relief Grant of $10,000 to Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity (MEND), Essex County’s hunger relief network. The grant will help ensure hundreds of local families have access to nutritious food following the recent pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the government shutdown.
The donation, which marks the first Emergency Relief Grant issued by the 3-year-old Foundation, will be used specifically to support the needs of the food pantries at Our Lady of Sorrows Church (OLS) in South Orange and St. Joseph’s Church in Maplewood. Together, these two long-standing MEND partners help provide food to approximately 2,000 individuals each month.
Left to right: Fred Profeta, president, The Maplewood Foundation; Robin Peacock, executive director, MEND; and Abi Linton, administrative assistant, St. Joseph’s food pantry.
“Among the reasons we created The Maplewood Foundation was to be responsive to community needs, including those that aren’t always predictable,” said Fred Profeta, president of the Foundation. “Our growing, sustainable source of funding allows us to help our neighbors when systems they rely on fail them. The interruption of and ongoing uncertainty around SNAP benefits is a great example of how the Foundation can step in to support the community as urgent needs arise, especially with a trusted nonprofit like MEND administering this grant through two hyperlocal food pantries.”
MEND strengthens the health of our community by increasing access to fresh and healthy food through a collaborative network of over 40 community partners. The Foundation’s grant will be used over the next three months to purchase 200 $25 grocery store gift cards from ShopRite for St. Joe’s to distribute to its clients and to increase food purchasing for OLS to meet sharply rising local demand.
SNAP benefits allow families to shop for food with dignity and prevent crises. When those benefits are delayed, reduced or in jeopardy, many who typically manage on their own must turn to emergency food providers – something MEND has seen increasing even beyond the recent shutdown.
“Although the government shutdown officially ended Nov. 12, the disruption over the last several weeks has created sustained anxiety and increased need among many families,” said MEND Executive Director, Robin Peacock. “We expect this to continue for the foreseeable future due to, among other issues, eroded trust that SNAP will be a reliable resource. We cannot thank The Maplewood Foundation enough for helping us meet this urgent moment for our neighbors.”
The Emergency Relief Grant was awarded by The Maplewood Foundation outside its annual grant-giving cycle. Through the generosity of community donors, the Foundation, in its first two years, awarded $120,000 in grants to 16 organizations that serve both Maplewood and South Orange. The remaining 2025 grantees will be announced later this month.
To make a tax-deductible donation to The Maplewood Foundation, visit themaplewoodfoundation.org. To make a donation to MEND, visit mendnj.org/donate/.
ABOUT THE MAPLEWOOD FOUNDATION
The Maplewood Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation dedicated to providing a continuously growing bedrock of financial support to nonprofit organizations benefiting the residents of Maplewood and South OrangeNew Jersey. The organization uses a grant-awarding process to disseminate at least 5% of its assets each year in support of established and aspiring nonprofits in the following areas: climate and environmental stewardship; diversity, equity and inclusion; educational scholarships; emergency relief for residents; enhancement of public education; programs for individuals with disabilities; promotion of the arts; support for senior citizens; and, youth recreation. Visit www.themaplewoodfoundation.org for more information.
ABOUT MEND
MEND (Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity) is a hunger relief network working to strengthen the health of Essex County. Its mission is to strengthen the health of our community by increasing access to fresh and healthy food. It envisions a community in which everyone has access to nutritious food and the ability to achieve their optimal health.
Through its Fresh Food Hub located in Orange, NJ, MEND supports food-sourcing, storage, transportation, and volunteer operations across a network of more than 40 food pantries and community partners. Its programming is designed to reduce barriers, bring fresh and culturally relevant food to those who need it most, and drive systems-level change in food equity. Visit www.mendnj.org for more information.
