As delays and reductions in SNAP funding continue to impact community members and nonprofit organizations across the region, Essex County Community Foundation announced today that we are distributing $100,000 in funding from the Essex County Community Response Fund to 10 frontline food providers serving Gateway Cities and surrounding areas, where nearly 80 percent of the region’s SNAP participants live.
ECCF announced last week that it is committed to raising and distributing as much money as we can during the month of November to support our local food security system during these unprecedented times.
“We know this funding alone can’t fix the enormous challenges at hand,” said ECCF President and CEO Stratton Lloyd. “This is a collective effort, and we urge everyone to do what they can to support friends and neighbors who are wondering how they will put food on the table by donating directly to their local food pantries.”
These organizations are the literal lifelines for thousands of Essex County residents. Donations of perishable and non-perishable foods are always welcomed (and people should contact their local food pantry for a list of the most needed items), but monetary donations can help food pantries leverage their buying power and stretch your dollars even further.
People can also donate to ECCF’s Essex County Community Response Fund at www.eccf.org/essex-county-community-response-fund/.
“We want to thank the community for the outpouring of support we’ve already seen for the Community Response Fund in the last few days,” said Amy Moran Lowe, ECCF’s director of grants and programs. “And we’re getting this money out as quickly as possible while we continue to advocate for federal funding to be fully restored.”
“We hope that this happens quickly so that food organizations, which were already overloaded, can focus on preparing for the busy holiday season, when demand is highest, and thinking about how they’ll continue to meet these needs in the future,” Lowe added.
This summer, in response to federal funding cuts, ECCF launched the Essex County Community Response Fund and quickly raised and distributed $500,000 in emergency funding, the majority of which went towards food security. The long-term goal of the fund is to be a source of sustainability and resiliency for our local nonprofit sector.
